Pricing decision of service systems based on the combined effect of multiple customer psychology

Purpose Customers will develop a stronger desire to purchase when more people are waiting in line for service due to the herding effect. However, this also leads to longer queue times, causing customers to experience a waiting patience time. This study examines these two psychological aspects of delay-sensitive customers in service systems, considering both homogeneous and heterogeneous customer scenarios to explore the optimal pricing strategy for service providers. Design/methodology/approach Using queueing theory, we construct and optimally solve the customer's service utility function and the service provider's service revenue function. Further, the model is extended to account for heterogeneous customers, solving the utility and revenue functions accordingly. Findings Results show that service revenue increases with the intensity of herding behavior and the length of patience time. If customers have low herding intensity and short patience time, the service provider only needs to serve a portion of the customers. For heterogeneous customers, if a large proportion exhibits high herding intensity, the service provider should focus on serving them. Otherwise, the service provider should serve all high-intensity herding customers while striving to attract low-intensity herding customers. Originality/value This paper considers the combined utility of multiple customer psychology and examines homogeneous and heterogeneous customers. The findings provide valuable managerial insights for service providers' pricing and service strategies.