Examples of SWOT analysis used to asses: a company (its position in the market, commercial viability, etc) a method of sales

distribution a product or brand a business idea a strategic option, such as entering a new market or launching a new product a opportunity to make an acquisition a potential partnership changing a supplier outsourcing a service, activity or resource project planning and project management an investment opportunity personal financial planning personal career development - direction, choice, change, etc. education and qualifications planning and decision-making life-change - downshifting, relocation, relationships, perhaps even family planning?..

Subject of SWOT analysis: (define the subject of the analysis here) strengths Advantages of proposition? Capabilities? Competitive advantages? USP's (unique selling points)? Resources, Assets, People? Experience, knowledge, data? Financial reserves, likely returns? Marketing - reach, distribution, awareness? Innovative aspects? Location and geographical? Price, value, quality? Accreditations, qualifications, certifications? Processes, systems, IT, communications? Cultural, attitudinal, behavioural? Management cover, succession? weaknesses Disadvantages of proposition? Gaps in capabilities? Lack of competitive strength? Reputation, presence and reach? Financials? Own known vulnerabilities? Timescales, deadlines and pressures? Cashflow, start-up cash-drain? Continuity, supply chain robustness? Effects on core activities, distraction? Reliability of data, plan predictability? Morale, commitment, leadership? Accreditations, etc? Processes and systems, etc? Management cover, succession?

opportunities Market developments? Competitors' vulnerabilities? Industry or lifestyle trends? Technology development and innovation? Global influences? New markets, vertical, horizontal? Niche target markets? Geographical, export, import? Market need for new USP's? Market response to tactics, e.g., surprise? Major contracts, tenders? Business and product development? Information and research? Partnerships, agencies, distribution? Market volume demand trends? Seasonal, weather, fashion influences?

threats Political effects? Legislative effects? Environmental effects? IT developments? Competitor intentions - various? Market demand? New technologies, services, ideas? Vital contracts and partners? Obstacles faced? Insurmountable weaknesses? Employment market? Financial and credit pressures? Economy - home, abroad? Seasonality, weather effects?

SWOT analysis Example (Clothing store---Topshop)

Strengths: 1. hit-the-trend styles 2. affordability 3. accessibility - store coverage all over the country 4. availability in clothes range 5. numerous choices in product lines 6. choices at multiple price points - for different choices of styles and qualities 7. established brand image and market position (in the UK) 8. variety of collections to appeal to a broader range of customers (current and potential) 9. over 300 stores in UK and 100 overseas - increased competitive edge on the international retail market 10. Charity work w/ PETA, Breast Cancer, TRAID & Starlight - providing a strong brand image and establishes a trustful relationship with its stakeholders 11. New collection every week. 12. Explore the brand- combining media culture and celebrities to produce products.

13. Top Shop has a lot of services that makes the customer life easy, like: Style Advisor, Membership Card, Topshop To Go, Topshop Express, Concierge, In-store Weaknesses: 1. difficult to manage - numerous lines of products, big store space and big number of staff 2. high cost in management because of above 3. customer services become difficult to maintain for big store space and numerous product lines 4. store presentation (tidiness and organisation) become difficult to maintain too because of above reasons 5. average quality 6. accessibility takes away the exclusivity and uniqueness in styles - cloned and uniformed styles 7. Weak customer service - they are more focused on quantity and not quality 8. Quality and price range will be problematic to allow TopShop to become a Higher-end quality retailer appealling to more mature customers who have money to spend 9. Some ideas and details of fashion trend come from top brands. 10. The prices- not affordable 11. Inside display of the store- too messy, not easy to work out it. 12. Customer service- doesn't work well, only one person to help whole customers, also unprofessional and unhelpful. 13. Web shopping- no detail and size for accessorises, customers are difficult to get the right images of them. 14. A store that is that big can not offer a personal care like a small boutique 15. Customer Service is practically non-existent. it is completly self-service. 16. The stores can be overwhelming. Their size makes it hard for a customer to see all the product, this can lead to less sales if a customer feels overwhelmed.Opportunities: 1. targeting young consumers - very fashion-cautious group that will spend on fashion more regularly 2. association with celebrities - creating fame and attchment to brand 3. affordability and choices might make survive the recession 4. International expension opportunities with its mature market position and status among consumers in the UK 5. Brand expansion - they are starting to carry Men's clothing line on their website, which allows them to enter a new customer market & potentially open Men's top shop stores 6. Chartiy work provides opportunities to target a greater range of potential customers, those who wouldn't normally shop at TopShop otherwise 7. Increase in popularity and strength of brand image (use of Kate Moss - world renowned model), provides expansion and recognition opportunities all across the world 8. Worldwide Store Expansion = increase revenue and profits 9. Website management- producing and selling the products by website, customers shopping by internet without visiting the store, also it can shipping to USA and Europe. 10. It is the good stage for new fashion designers to present their works. 11. Step to step Top Shop is getting bigger and there is a huge market to explore, China, U.S. ... 12. Kate Moss is a prescriptor who catches young people attention, and they are biggest fashion consumers.

Example no.2
Strengths 1. Knowledge. Our competitors are retailers, pushing boxes. We know systems, networks, connectivity, programming, all the Value Added Resellers (VARs), and data management. 2. Relationship selling. We get to know our customers, one by one. Our direct sales force maintains a relationship. 3. History. Weve been in our town forever. We have the loyalty of customers and vendors. We are local. Weaknesses 1. Costs. The chain stores have better economics. Their per-unit costs of selling are quite low. They arent offering what we offer in terms of knowledgeable selling, but their cost per square foot and per dollar of sales are much lower. 2. Price and volume. The major stores pushing boxes can afford to sell for less. Their component costs are less and they benefit from volume buying with the main vendors. 3. Brand power. Take one look at their full-page advertising, in color, in the Sunday paper. We cant match that. We dont have the national name that flows into national advertising. Opportunities 1. Local area networks. LANs are becoming commonplace in small businesses, and even in home offices. Businesses today assume LANs are part of normal office work. This is an opportunity for us because LANs are much more knowledge and service intensive than the standard off-the-shelf PC. 2. The Internet. The increasing opportunities of the Internet offer us another area of strength in comparison to the box-on-the-shelf major chain stores. Our customers want more help with the Internet and we are in a better position to give it to them. 3. Training. The major stores dont provide training, but as systems become more complicated with LAN and Internet usage, training is more in demand. This is particularly true of our main target markets. 4. Service. As our target market needs more service, our competitors are less likely than ever to provide it. Their business model doesnt include service, just selling the boxes. Threats 1. The computer as appliance. Volume buying and selling of computers as products in boxes, supposedly not needing support, training, connectivity services, etc. As people think of the computer in those terms, they think they need our service orientation less. 2. The larger price-oriented store. When they have huge advertisements of low prices in the newspaper, our customers think we are not giving them good value.