Differential Pricing Strategies for Smart Shared On-Demand Printing Services: A User Demand-Oriented Perspective

Abstract

Under the rapid development of the sharing economy and intelligent service ecosystems, smart shared on-demand printing—a
platform-based, decentralized printing paradigm—faces significant pricing challenges arising from heterogeneous user price sensitivity and
divergent preferences regarding service timeliness. This study adopts a demand-oriented perspective, integrating price discrimination theory
with user segmentation–based pricing models. Employing a mixed-method approach combining conceptual analysis and empirical case studies, we develop a differentiated pricing framework structured along three key dimensions: user category, print volume, and service speed. Empirical findings indicate that implementing group-specific pricing for students, faculty/staff, and external users; applying tiered discounts for
high-volume orders; and charging premium rates for expedited printing collectively enhance alignment with heterogeneous demand patterns.
Such a strategy effectively alleviates two primary pain points—price affordability and waiting time—thereby improving resource allocation
efficiency, user satisfaction, and platform revenue. Practical implementations in university printing services and commercial shared-printing
platforms further corroborate the operational feasibility of this framework. The study concludes that, when deploying differentiated pricing,
smart shared on-demand printing systems should also ensure price transparency, perceived fairness, and user affordability to balance public
service objectives with commercial sustainability.