Amazon Information System

Amazon Information System

Amazon Information System

An information system (IS) is an integrated set of components that collect, store and process data with the aim of later communicating the information. They provide information, knowledge and digital products. Amazon is an electronic retail and cloud computing company that was founded on 5th July 1994 by Jeff Bezos. It is based in Seattle, Washington in the U.S. It started as an online bookstore, diversifying later to sell other goods and services. It is currently the largest internet retailer by total sales and market capitalization (Steve Wasserman, 2012).

Amazon, like any other retail stores, aims to keep their current customers satisfied and attract more customers. It is an online store that entirely depends on the internet and computers to receive purchases and dispatch goods and services. Amazon Information Systems collect customer details, which include credit card numbers, names, location and list of purchases. They also gather data on their suppliers and the goods they sell. Amazon is used by both individuals and organizations.

Characteristics of the Users of the System

Amazon has a wide array of products and services which are beneficial to different kinds of people and agencies. They have shoppers, who are the people that buy goods and services from Amazon. These are mainly employed individuals who cannot go out to shop or lazy individuals who marvel at the convenience of online shopping and are also impulse shoppers (Sarkar, 2011). The suppliers and entrepreneurs are persons or organizations looking to sell their products and services through Amazon. They are either small businesses looking for a breakthrough or already established businesses seeking to expand their brand.

Amazon employees also use the AIS to keep track of customers' details. They need the information to ensure efficiency in their delivery and client services. The other users of the AIS are organizations and individuals who use Amazon Cloud. They are mainly paranoid groups who have envied information. Authors and emerging writer who publish their books on Amazon use the information system too, in an attempt to advance their writing career.

Features and Usage of the System

The Amazon website is equipped with multiple of options for their users. At the very top is a search engine for the user to navigate the site. Instead of sifting through all the items in the display window, the Amazon user is presented with a choice to get straight to the point. This particular function is handy especially for new users who are still learning to navigate around the website. Just below the search function is a taskbar that is labeled. On the very left is a departments' shortcut. It ranges from Amazon music, clothing, electronics, home services and credit and payment services. The function is used to enlighten the Amazon user on the range of products the site is selling. It serves to make the website organized in the way that a store has different goods in different isles. The user knows the direct path to the item he or she wants (Amazon.com, 2017).

The next option on the taskbar is ‘Your amazon.com.' It is the user's option to open an account with Amazon. It requires an email address or phone number and a password. It enables a user to trade goods and services with Amazon. It also stores a user's Amazon history. Its function is connected to the shopping cart icon. Its primary purpose is to help the shopper keep track of the items he or she intends to buy. The user can always revisit the cart to add more items or remove those he or she has second thoughts. The ‘Orders' function is used when the shopper is satisfied with the items and are ready to order using their particular Amazon account. The information collected is used by Amazon to determine the type of goods and services to suggest for the user from their history. These functions give the user noted presence in the Amazon trade.

Today's Deals is a list of all the items that are on offer and those items whose original prices have been slashed (Amazon.com, 2017). The purpose of this window is to lure the online shopper into purchasing an item that they do not need at that time but may require later. Also, a purchaser can acquire an item they earlier wished to buy but passed on because of the initial price. The presence of this window on the site lets the user know that Amazon is a retail store that rewards its loyal customers. It also invokes interest in the online buyer because they will always want to check out what is on offer and perhaps impulse-buy it.

The ‘Sell' function is provided for individuals or organizations who wish to use Amazon as the distributor of their products. It may be utilized by manufacturers, suppliers and other individuals with commodities to trade. A trader can start selling their goods without creating a website by accessing a new sales channel. He or she is given an opportunity by Amazon to market their product to millions of Amazon's customers. The window opened under the ‘Sell' function provides guidelines on how to start trading goods and services on Amazon. It gives the interested trader a platform to sell at a fee.

Impact of the System

Amazon may provide other services such as cloud storage, but it is widely praised for its online retail position. As an online shop, Amazon is a blessing for many people. From the comfort of one's home or office or while on vacation, it is possible to purchase desired items without having to go anywhere. Individuals who are too busy to make quick stops at the mall can still buy goods (Steve Wasserman, 2012). It, therefore, saves time and energy for the online shopper. It also saves them money. One will not have to drive to different stores in search of a product. Amazon delivers right at your doorstep. It saves time that would have been used going from store to store in search of an item. The inconvenience many shoppers face while looking for parking space can be avoided. An Amazon user can search for the prices of items online when creating a shopping list or a quotation.

It has led the growth of individual businesses. Marketing of one's business, whether it is a new product being introduced into the market or a franchise can prove to be difficult. The seller is required to have adequate knowledge of target market and even so, convince the people to buy from them. Amazon provides a solution for such entrepreneurs. It gives them a platform to sell their products and services and even provides the target market. When a seller creates a brand with Amazon, shoppers who do not know about their business invest because of their trust in Amazon.

Young and budding authors have been given a platform to publish and sell their work. Gone are days when you needed a well-known name or similar recommendation to print your book. Amazon publisher lets authors publish their work online and even sell it. It has revolutionized the publishing industry which was one rigid and closed to new writing ideas or stories they did not familiarize with. These authors can also read reviews of their work through Good Reads which is powered by Amazon. It has arguably improved their quality of work and united artists in supporting each others' works.

Organizations and individuals can now back up their online data on Amazon's cloud. Instead of investing in high-tech devices that cost a lot of money and are complicated to use, businesses and organizations prefer to use Amazon cloud to keep their data safe, uncorrupted and secret. Some agencies such as pharmaceutical companies prefer when their data is kept out of their competitors reach. Amazon happens just to provide an answer for such problems. Amazon provides storage of data and state of the art secrecy for their client's information. These customers can now worry about expanding their business rather than hiding their secret ingredients.

Just like everything else man made, Amazon has its negative impacts on the users. Other than making online shoppers dependent on the Amazon system, it has made them lazy and impulse-buyers. What is the point of leaving the house when groceries can be dropped at your door? The idea of physically going to a store becomes tedious and brutal to online shoppers. The internet always has enticing goods at a very luring price. Shoppers max out their credit cards with a bunch of items they do not need (Sarkar, 2011). Online shopping has gone very wrong for many people. Sometimes the item ordered is faulty or broken, the dress does not fit, or the picture online looks nothing like the delivery made.

Organizations and individuals who use Amazon cloud to protect their information stand to lose a lot should a problem ever occur. The Amazon Information System just like any other online or computer-based filing system is addictive. Information can be accessed fast and saved quickly. The same applies to loss of the same information. A single malicious virus can wipe out an entire firm's history of research and data. An overzealous computer nerd may decide to play games with your prized information by hacking Amazon cloud.

Conclusion

Amazon Information System is essential to millions of people. It is both of great advantage to the users and the government. Amazon has created employments and generated a lot of revenue. Amazon has used technology to revolutionize the retail industry in a way that cannot be rivaled. Amazon opened the world to new possibilities and new ideas (Steve Wasserman, 2012). It has expanded the scope of human imagination. It may have its drawbacks and negative impacts on the society, but the good of Amazon prevails. It would be difficult to live in the world without Amazon and its subsidiaries. It is another example of why technology is the best thing that happened to the world.

Amazon.com: Online Shopping , (2017) Retrueved from: https://www.amazon.com/