Customer story · Polara
How Polara cuts outdoor gear support costs 68% with Chatref
Polara trained a Chatref chatbot on product specs, sizing charts, and weather ratings so adventurers get instant gear guidance – and 29% of abandoned carts now convert into paid orders.
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Polara is an outdoor gear retailer that deployed Chatref – an AI chatbot trained on its own product specs, sizing charts, weather ratings, and hundreds of past support transcripts – to answer shoppers' questions on its website and WhatsApp channel around the clock. After launching Chatref in 2026, Polara grew conversions by 38%, automated 82% of customer queries, recovered around $95k in abandoned carts every month, and cut support cost per ticket by 68%. Chatref uses pay-as-you-go pricing with $50 free credit on signup, so Polara pays only for conversations that drive revenue, with unlimited chatbots and unlimited team seats included and no subscription or per-seat fees.
Retail / Outdoor gear · 8-person support team · Using Chatref since 2026
At a glance
Polara in a nutshell.
+38%
Sales growth
82%
Queries automated
$95k
Carts recovered / mo
95%
CSAT
- Polara trained a Chatref chatbot on product specs, sizing charts, weather ratings, and hundreds of past support transcripts so shoppers get expert gear guidance without waiting on a specialist.
- Automated cart-recovery and shipping-status messages replaced manual follow-up, converting 29% of abandoned carts and adding around $95k in recovered revenue every month.
- Pay-as-you-go billing with $50 free credit on signup meant Polara only paid for conversations that drove real orders – no subscription, no per-seat fees, unlimited chatbots and team seats included.
The story
How it played out.
The challenge
Polara sells tents, hiking boots, and outdoor equipment to 800,000 adventurers every month. Its eight-person support team was fielding the same technical questions on repeat: tent capacity, boot fit, pack volume, weather ratings, and return windows. During spring hiking season, wait times stretched past three hours and cart abandonment climbed to 68% when shoppers could not get quick answers on waterproof ratings or sizing.
Seasonal hiring did not pencil out, and generic live-chat scripts could not reason over gear specs or recommend a sleeping bag matched to a specific climate. Polara needed an assistant that could handle technical product questions the way a senior outdoor specialist would.
The Chatref setup
Polara uploaded its product catalogue, sizing charts, weather ratings, return policies, and hundreds of past support transcripts to a Chatref chatbot. The bot was trained in about a day and embedded on the Polara storefront, WhatsApp channel, and WooCommerce product pages. Chatref answers only from Polara's own content – so when a hiker asks for a three-season tent for two people, the bot returns the exact SKU, flags the weight and packed size, and shows in-stock colourways.
Automated cart-recovery messages reach shoppers one hour after they leave items behind, with personalised gear suggestions based on the conversation history. Complex technical questions are routed to experienced outdoor specialists with the full chat transcript attached.
The outcome
Within the first quarter of 2026, Polara grew conversions by 38% year-over-year. The bot handled 82% of inbound questions end-to-end, cart-recovery messages converted 29% of abandoned carts – adding around $95k in monthly revenue – and average order value rose 22% through matched accessory suggestions like water bottles and hiking poles.
Support cost per ticket fell 68%, saving $50k every month, and CSAT climbed from 76% to 95%. Because Chatref uses pay-as-you-go credit, Polara paid only for the conversations that converted, with unlimited chatbots and unlimited seats already included in the $50 starter credit every new account receives.
Explore
More customer stories.
What does Polara do?
Polara is an outdoor gear retailer that deployed Chatref – an AI chatbot trained on its own product specs, sizing charts, weather ratings, and hundreds of past support transcripts – to answer shoppers' questions on its website and WhatsApp channel around the clock.
What problem did Polara solve with Chatref?
Automated cart-recovery and shipping-status messages replaced manual follow-up, converting 29% of abandoned carts and adding around $95k in recovered revenue every month.
What results did Polara see?
Polara reached +38% sales growth, with 82% queries automated. Pay-as-you-go billing with $50 free credit on signup meant Polara only paid for conversations that drove real orders – no subscription, no per-seat fees, unlimited chatbots and team seats included.
How long did it take Polara to go live?
Polara launched quickly and started seeing results within the first weeks. Chatref trains on your existing content, so most teams go live in days, not months.
How much does Chatref cost?
Chatref is pay-as-you-go. You start with $50 of free credit, then pay only for what you use. There is no subscription, no per-seat fee, and every feature is included.
Can I get results like Polara?
Yes. Train a chatbot on your own docs, FAQs, and past tickets, deploy it on your website and other channels, and let it answer the routine questions. Start free with $50 of credit.
Match shoppers to the right gear, automatically
Train a Chatref chatbot on your specs and sizing in minutes. $50 free credit, no subscription.
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