AI-Based Pricing under Extreme Customisation:
Restructuring Pricing Practices in a Commercial Printing Case
Abstract
Pricing remains one of the least digitised and most opaque operational functions in the commercial printing industry due to extreme product variation and continued reliance on manual, experience-based pricing practices. This study examines how an AI-enabled Smart Pricing System (AISPS) was integrated into the pricing practice in a commercial printing firm in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, with cross-border operations linked to Singapore and Malaysia. Using a qualitative single-case design based on semi-structured interviews with three internal participants, supported by field observations and organisational artefacts, the study analyses how the system was used in practice. Interview evidence indicates that AISPS combined rule-based pricing logic for product configuration and quotation with data-driven analytical functions used to interpret user behaviour and support subsequent decisions. The findings show that the system reduced the complexity of online product listing, improved the usability of wholesaler pricing data, and supported the shift from manual quotation to digitally mediated pricing workflows. Rather than claiming broad market effects beyond the case, the study shows how an AI-enabled pricing system can reorganise the internal pricing work in a highly customised commercial printing environment. The paper contributes to research on technology adoption and digital transformation by offering a bounded, practice-oriented account of how pricing systems become embedded in everyday organisational routines.
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