Preply Customer Perception Study

Preply Customer Perception Study: What Matters and Why

Objective and context. We set out to understand how UK learners perceive online 1:1 language tutoring, what they expect to pay, and which features drive adoption and habit. Across this sample, the proposition is attractive but explicitly conditional: short, reliable sessions that fit life rhythms, transparent low‑risk pricing, clear tutor quality signals, and tangible proof of progress.

What we heard across questions.

• Authentic conversation is the primary draw. Respondents want live, unscripted speaking with native accents and immediate correction. As Hannah noted, “Talking to an actual native speaker would get me unstuck faster than another flashcard deck.”
• Short, flexible lessons underpin adoption and retention. 25–30 minute sessions, quick rescheduling, and recurring calendar anchors were repeatedly requested (e.g., Daniel: “Two 30‑minute chats a week… Same nights.”).
• Pricing is sensitive with a clear sweet spot. £10–£15/hour feels fair; £20 is borderline and £30 requires exceptional, fast outcomes. Aoife captured the baseline: “10 feels fair. 20–30 feels steep on our budget.”
• Tutor quality variability and booking friction are barriers. Learners distrust inflated ratings and want verified 30–60s clips, honest reviews, and cheap trials. Operational anxieties include time‑zones, last‑minute reschedules, no‑shows, and refund pain.
• Progress must be visible and portable. Concise “receipts” after each lesson (5–10 lines used, 1–2 voice clips, one tiny task) and week‑1 vs week‑4 audio comparisons were cited as decisive proof. Mark: “Real chat. No fluff. Fix my mistakes. On the spot.”
• Build for busy adult lives, not gamified apps. Participants reject streaks, badges, mascots, and bulk grammar dumps in favor of calm UI, real‑life tasks, and asynchronous voice workflows (Calum: “I send 30 seconds, tutor replies with fixes.”).
• Trust levers include privacy and ethics. A minority require recordings off by default with explicit consent, and transparent economics (e.g., indicative tutor earnings share).

Persona correlations.

• Young parent/informal learner (Amara): Needs 25–30 min, penalty‑free rescheduling, child‑friendly micro‑content, and instant credits if tutors cancel.
• Tech‑literate, schedule‑constrained workers (Calum, Daniel): Prioritise privacy‑by‑default, low‑bandwidth/camera‑optional modes, asynchronous voice notes, and measurable progress.
• Mid‑career, outcome‑driven (Mark): Will pay more for fast, pragmatic “can‑do” milestones (travel/business role‑play) with rock‑solid scheduling.
• Creative/ethical buyers (Hannah): Value domain vocabulary matching, exportable notes, and visible platform fairness.
• Budget‑conscious renters (Aoife): Prefer one consistent tutor, pay‑as‑you‑go, and early visible gains to justify spend; prepayment can trigger guilt‑driven avoidance.

Recommendations anchored in evidence.

• Pricing & policies: Publish all‑in GBP pricing; offer 25–30 min lessons; cheap first‑lesson trial; pay‑as‑you‑go; instant credit on tutor cancellations. Addresses the £10–£15 sweet spot, risk aversion, and scheduling anxiety.
• Tutor quality signals: Require verified 30–60s clips, interest tags (child‑friendly, business, casual chat), and honest review prompts; curate shortlists to reduce choice overload.
• Speak Receipts: Standardise post‑lesson artifacts (5–10 notes, 1–2 audio clips, one tiny task) plus week‑1 vs week‑4 audio comparisons and a simple “can‑do” map; enable export.
• Scheduling reliability: One‑tap reschedule, recurring slots, timezone auto‑normalize, buffer windows; surface reliability badges.
• Friction reducers: Camera‑optional, audio‑first/low‑data mode; asynchronous 30–60s voice notes with 24‑hour tutor feedback; recordings off by default with opt‑in retention.

Risks and mitigations. Potential revenue dip from shorter, PAYG sessions (mitigate via proportional 30‑min pricing and value‑led upsells); tutor burden from receipts (templates, AI‑assisted drafts, on‑time bonuses); operational load from credits/reschedules (automation, clear windows); privacy compliance (consent logging, easy deletion); uncertain uptake of async voice (pilot with success threshold).

Next steps and measurement.

1. 0–30 days: Ship pricing clarity, 25–30 min option, cheap trial, camera‑optional mode, instant credits for tutor cancels.
2. 30–60 days: One‑tap reschedule, recurring slots, timezone normalization; require tutor clips/tags; launch curated shortlists.
3. 60–90 days: Roll out Speak Receipts + export; instrument KPIs; add reliability badges.
4. 90–120 days: Pilot asynchronous voice notes with 24h SLAs and privacy controls; refine compensation/templates.

• KPIs: Trial‑to‑Paid Conversion ≥30% (7‑day), 4‑Week Retention ≥45%, Speak Receipts On‑Time ≥80% (→90%), Tutor Cancel/No‑Show ≤3% with 100% instant credit, Avg Lessons per Learner/Month ≥3.0.

Delivering short, reliable human practice with proof of progress, transparent pricing, and low‑friction operations directly answers what this audience values-and what keeps them from trying or staying.