Dynamic Process Analysis

    The Using MIS textbook defines a dynamic process as “flexible, informal, and adaptive processes that normally involve strategic and less specific managerial decisions and activities”  (Kroenke and Boyle, p. 299). For our dynamic process, we will focus on the marketing process within Amazon. Amazon is very active on multiple platforms across the world. 

    The Using MIS textbook describes social media information systems (SMIS) as “an information system that supports the sharing of content among networks of users” (Kroenke and Boyle, p. 346). By this definition, Amazon’s own site can be considered a SMIS and this is what we will be using for our analysis. Although Amazon has a lot of influence and frequently uses other platforms like TikTok and Instagram to create social networks and capital, their priority is to get people from those platforms to explore their own. Amazon has been adapting its website to a point where its user interface and experience relate to other social media platforms. Within Amazon’s website and app, user’s are able to give feedback on products, contribute towards peer-to-peer support, and even create content (through Amazon Inspire) and storefronts for products as well as follow brands and creators.


Social Media Plan

  1. Define Your Goals - To inspire and drive influencers and customers to engage with the website (engagement). Promote conversion rates within the site. 

  2. Identify Success Metrics - Some KPIs that Amazon uses for marketing include conversion rates, reach, engagement, and retention

  3. Identify Target Audience - Because Amazon engages and sells in many different industries, they’re target includes all people (influencers, small businesses, millennials, GenZ, value-conscious consumers)

  4. Define Your Value - Keeping up with Amazon’s social media and following storefront and business pages on amazon's sites allows consumers to keep up with new products and deals as well as trending items. For influencers and business owners, they can sell or promote their products onto Amazon and reach a larger audience. 

  5. Make Personal Connections - Personal connections are made when people comment and review items, ask and answer each others questions, or through Amazon Storefront (used by brands and influencers) they can host livestreams

  6. Gather and Analyze Data - Sellers on Amazon can use Brand Analytics feature to view data on their store. Influencers in Amazon's Influencer Program may create an Amazon storefront and within the AmazonAssociates Portal can view their summary of earnings. This allows them to view analytics on where their commissions are coming from, daily trends, and what products are selling.

Analytics for Storefront


 Currently, personal connections can be made when people interact with Amazon Live videos, liking storefront items and posts, and reviewing products. Making personal connections is where Amazon is failing the most in its social media plan. In 2017, they launched Amazon Spark, which enabled Prime members to post, like, and comment on the Amazon website. This program closed in 2019, surprisingly due to the company's low commitment to marketing and making the feature user-friendly (Nico). We would recommend that Amazon relaunch the program with a broader marketing approach (Spark promoted to influencers despite it being available to everyone), create a second app for it, or simply feature it on the main page, where it lists its other features like Prime and Amazon Video. They could also provide a feature for commenting on storefront items and lists. A very simple approach could also be allowing a Q&A. This will give users improved ability in making personal connections which in turn result in longer activity within the app and increased opportunities for selling or promoting products through that engagement.


Video on Setting Up a Storefront

Social Capital

    Social capital is the investment in social relations with the hopes of returns in the marketplace. The value of social capital can be found by determining the number of relationships, the strength of those relationships, and the resources controlled. According to the textbook, Using MIS, “social capital adds value by providing information, influence, social credentials, and personal reinforcement (Kroenke and Boyle, p. 346). TikTok best displays the following numbers needed to express social capital.


Strong relationships * number of relationships * entity resources = the value of social capital
The Value of social capital for Tiktok= High engagement(4.2million Likes) * 952.9k followers * resources( collaborations)


The value of social capital for Amazon is medium to high. They have thousands of followers and even more engagements. Their Tiktok profile has millions of likes and interactions on their posts. They post content regularly and keep their followers engaged. They present lots of content for users and partner with influencers to advertise their products and services. The influencers are shown promoting amazon prime which received 423k likes and 33.4M views. Other influencers are shown promoting shopping at Amazon to save money which received 41.5k likes and 264.9k views. 

    The value of social capital for Amazon is medium to high. They have thousands of followers and even more engagements. Their Tiktok profile has millions of likes and interactions on their posts. They post content regularly and keep their followers engaged. They present lots of content for users and partner with influencers to advertise their products and services. The influencers are shown promoting amazon prime which received 423k likes and 33.4M views. Other influencers are shown promoting shopping at Amazon to save money which received 41.5k likes and 264.9k views.

Enterprise Social Network

    An enterprise social network is a software platform that helps facilitate ways of communication and gives individuals in an organization the opportunity to interact. On page 356, it is suggested that the application is created to be used inside organizations to efficiently manage collaboration, communication, knowledge sharing, problem solving, and decision making. Enterprise 2.0 is the implementation of social networks being used in organizations. It gives workers the ability to search for information as well as get access to important links. SLATES represents search, links, authoring, tags, extensions, and signals. Amazon does not currently have an enterprise social network. 


Social Media IS Security Concerns

    Amazon adopts a comprehensive strategy to address SMIS concerns. This strategy encompasses robust security protocols, including encryption and access controls, to protect internal systems and data. Through employee training, Amazon ensures awareness of social media policies reducing the risk of inadvertent data leaks. Amazon’s policy permits employees to freely communicate on social media platforms about their personal work experiences, including hours worked, wages and working conditions. They emphasize that employees are not required to seek approval before posting on social media. When It comes to handling inappropriate content and unfavorable reviews, Amazon uses automated filtering systems specifically designed to detect and remove content that violates their policies, such as hate speech or explicit material. This automated system also diligently monitors feedback, swiftly identifying any negative reviews. Once identified, Amazon privately responds and addresses concerns via their Contact Customer feature on their website or via direct message on their social media platforms. Here, they will offer solutions or provide clarifications. In cases where significant issues arise, Amazon may offer refunds or discounts as a gesture of goodwill to maintain customer loyalty

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