Mohammad Ahmmad Solaiman Ahmmad <br/><br/>
A Strategy for Leveraging AI-Powered Social Listening Technologies to enhance  Marketing Strategies for Small and Medium E-commerce Businesses in Egypt 
/Mohammad Ahmmad Solaiman Ahmmad 
 -  2024 
 - 117 p.   ill.   21 cm.  
<br/><br/>Supervisor: <br/>Tarek Khalil<br/> 
<br/><br/>Thesis (M.A.)—Nile University, Egypt, 2024 . 
<br/><br/>"Includes bibliographical references" 
<br/><br/>Contents:<br/>Acknowledgments ………………………………………………………...………………i<br/>Declaration………………………………………………………………...………………ii<br/>Abstract ……..……………………………………………......……….…………….……iii<br/>Table of content ...………………………………………………………...………………iv<br/>List of Figures ………………………………………………………..…………...….vii<br/>List of Tables ………..……………………………………………......………….….viii<br/>List of Abbreviation…………………………………………………….....……...…..…ix<br/>1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1<br/>1.1 Background..........................................................................................................................1<br/>1.2 E-commerce in egypt: a unique landscape...........................................................................2<br/>1.3 Central issues and importance of marketing strategies .......................................................2<br/>1.4 Leveraging ai-powered social listening technologies .........................................................2<br/>1.5 Importance and impact ........................................................................................................3<br/>1.6 Definitions and overview ....................................................................................................3<br/>2. AI in Egyptian SMEs marketing: a comprehensive review ............................................ 4<br/>2.1 Small and medium enterprises ............................................................................................4<br/>2.2 SMEs contribution to the GDP ...........................................................................................5<br/>2.3 The economic landscape of egypt .......................................................................................6<br/>2.4 The power of smes in egypt ................................................................................................6<br/>2.5 About e-commerce...............................................................................................................6<br/>2.6 E-commerce in the era of covid-19......................................................................................7<br/>2.7 A global perspective on e-commerce ..................................................................................7<br/>2.8 E-commerce in egypt: a transformative evolution...............................................................7<br/>2.9 E-commerce growth and its drivers ....................................................................................8<br/>2.10 Egypt's thriving e-commerce market ................................................................................8<br/>2.11 Key statistics on egypt's e-commerce ...............................................................................9<br/><br/>v<br/>2.12 Opportunities for SMEs ....................................................................................................9<br/>2.13 Challenges faced by SMEs in e-commerce sector...........................................................11<br/>2.14 Strengths and weaknesses of smes in the economy ........................................................11<br/>2.15 Marketing ........................................................................................................................13<br/>2.16 Artificial intelligence (AI) ...............................................................................................14<br/>2.17 Evolution and development of ai in marketing ...............................................................14<br/>2.18 Case studies of ai in marketing .......................................................................................15<br/>2.19 AI use cases in e-commerce ............................................................................................16<br/>2.20 Social listening ................................................................................................................19<br/>2.21 The evolution of social listening through AI ..................................................................19<br/>2.22 Definition and overview of ai-powered social listening technologies ............................21<br/>2.23 Effective social listening can change the game of competition – case studies ...............21<br/>2.24 Impact on marketing strategies .......................................................................................24<br/>2.25 Adoption of ai-powered social listening in smes ............................................................25<br/>2.26 Factors influencing the adoption of ai technologies in smes...........................................26<br/>2.27 Barriers for smes in adopting ai-powered social listening ..............................................26<br/>2.28 Benefits of ai-powered social listening technologies ......................................................27<br/>2.29 Social listening tools: in-depth exploration ....................................................................28<br/>3. Research methodology ................................................................................................. 33<br/>3.1 Problem statement .............................................................................................................34<br/>3.2 Research questions.............................................................................................................34<br/>3.3 Objectives of the study ......................................................................................................36<br/>3.4 The significance of the research work ..............................................................................37<br/>3.5 Research methods .............................................................................................................37<br/>4. Results and discussions ................................................................................................ 49<br/>4.1 Preface ...............................................................................................................................49<br/>4.2 Adoption of AI-powered social listening Technologies in Egyptian SMEs .....................50<br/>4.3 Perceived Benefits and Opportunities ...............................................................................58<br/>4.4 Challenges and Obstacles .................................................................................................62<br/>4.5 Survey & Interview Recommendations for AI Social Listening in SMEs ………..…… 65<br/><br/>vi<br/>4.6 Proposed Strategy .............................................................................................................66<br/>4.7 Discussion .........................................................................................................................68<br/>5. Conclusion and recommendations................................................................................ 70<br/>6. Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 73<br/> Appendices .................................................................................................................... 80 
<br/><br/> Abstract:<br/>Egyptian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the e-commerce sector face significant <br/>challenges in competing effectively due to limited resources and a rapidly changing digital <br/>landscape. Traditional marketing strategies often fail to keep pace with evolving consumer <br/>preferences and intense competition, hindering the marketing efforts of these businesses. This <br/>research aims to investigate the adoption of AI-powered social listening among Egyptian ecommerce SMEs, identifying the key challenges and opportunities specific to this context. The <br/>objective is to propose a tailored strategy to guide the effective implementation of this <br/>technology, enhancing the marketing strategies of these enterprises.<br/>A mixed-methods approach was employed in this study, combining quantitative data from <br/>surveys with qualitative insights gathered through interviews with SME owners and marketing <br/>managers. The findings revealed a considerable gap between the perceived benefits of AIpowered social listening—such as gaining deeper customer insights and improving brand <br/>reputation—and the challenges faced by SMEs. These challenges include financial constraints, a <br/>lack of expertise, and technological readiness.<br/>Based on the research findings, this study proposes a strategy designed to address the identified <br/>challenges. The strategy aims to guide Egyptian SMEs through the AI adoption process, <br/>unlocking the potential of AI-powered social listening to optimize their marketing strategies and <br/>enable them to thrive in the digital era.<br/>Keywords:<br/>AI-powered social listening, Egyptian SMEs, e-commerce marketing, adoption strategy, <br/>challenges, opportunities. 
<br/><br/><br/>Text in English, abstracts in English and Arabic 
<br/><br/><label>Standard No.: </label>0009-0004-3562-6502  ORCID 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>MOT
<br/><br/><label>Index Terms--Genre/Form: </label><br/>Dissertation, Academic
<br/><br/><label>Dewey Class. No.: </label>685.4