University Business Analysis Report: Secretsales.com SWOT Analysis

This report presents a comprehensive business analysis of Secretsales.com, employing the SWOT framework to evaluate its internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats. The analysis delves into various aspects of the company, including human resource management, accounting and finance, and marketing strategies. The report identifies the company's competitive advantages, such as efficient employees and strong customer interaction, while also highlighting weaknesses like the need for specialized workers and potential financial security concerns. Opportunities for expansion and market growth are explored, alongside threats from increased competition and online security risks. The report concludes with recommendations for the company to enhance its website, improve marketing strategies, and strengthen its financial framework to maintain a competitive edge in the market.

Running head: BUSINESS ANALYSIS
Business Analysis
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Author’s Note:

1BUSINESS ANALYSIS
Answer 1:
SWOT analysis examines four elements. The strengths are the internal attributes and the
resources which support a successful outcome. The weaknesses are the internal attributes and the
resources that work against any successful outcome. The opportunities are the external factors
which the entity can capitalize on or can use for its advantage. The threats are the external factors
which can jeopardize the success of the success.
SWOT analysis is most often utilized at the start of or as a part of a strategic planning
exercise. This particular framework is considered to be a powerful and effective decision making
process. It enables a particular entity to uncover and realize certain opportunities for success
which might be unarticulated previously or in order to highlight threats before these threats
become overly burdening. This analysis helps identify the competitive advantages of a company.
It also helps the managers of a particular organization to plot the career success by pinpointing
on a path which maximizes the strengths and also helps them be alert to threats which might
thwart achievement (Goetsch and Davis 2014).
Answer 2:

2BUSINESS ANALYSIS
The SWOT analysis for the company is discussed below:
Business actions
taken in different
arenas
Strength Weakness Opportunity Threat
Human Resource
Management
Efficient and well
trained employees
in different sectors
like online
dealings, strategy
planning,
packaging,
dispatching and
post sale follow
up. The customer
interaction of the
company is also
robust which helps
in building a loyal
customer base.
The company also
has tied up with
1600 brands in
their supply chain.
The area of
venture being
highly new, highly
specialized
workers are
required,
especially in the
genre of making
online flash sale
interface robust
and for competing
with the
multichannel
retailers who are
entering the high
street market.
With the flash
sales industry
being of valuation
of 3 billion in UK,
the company has
immense prospects
in expansion to
other emerging
markets, if the
company can
rightly recruit
workers with
potential to adapt
and innovate.
The company is
much smaller than
the already
existing in the
market, the
company faces
stiff competitions
in terms of
strategy
implementation
and operation
expansion.
Accounting and
Finance
Due to new type of
services and high
The company has
invested
There are huge
opportunities to
With the
operational base of

3BUSINESS ANALYSIS
trust building with
the customers, the
revenue of the
company increases
on an average of
20% per year.
The partnerships
with the brands
like Dyson and
Bose have helped
in increasing the
sales.
Backed by Parisian
venture the
company’s
financial prospects
strengthened even
more.
substantially in the
recent times to
boost membership
of the customers.
However, maintain
such a big clientele
and suppliers,
which include high
ranged luxury
brands makes the
process costly.
The base of sales
operation being
light entertainment
channels primarily,
the clientele
become
constricted which
affects the revenue
of the company.
strengthen its
accounting and
financial
framework so as to
make it more
competitive and
appropriate to
accommodate new
strategies and
compete with the
multichannel
companies.
The company has
generated enough
revenue to invest
on the marketing
aspects.
the company being
highly online and
pro-customer,
accounting and
keeping the private
financial details of
the customers
secure is a big
channel and there
remain substantial
threats of malware
and hacking
infiltrations.
Marketing The main effective
marketing strategy
of the company
has been the
advertisements
through TV, with
The company does
not have any
considerable
weakness in their
marketing
strategies.
With the online
marketing gaining
immense impetus
and people
becoming familiar
with the usage of
There are new
players continually
entering in the
market of flash
selling, not only in
the UK but also in

4BUSINESS ANALYSIS
the advertisements
being eye catchy
ones. The smart
phone interface of
the company also
enables flash sales
easy as the
customers respond
to the ads
instantly. The
word of mouth
publicity also adds
up to 50% of the
company’s client
sign ups.
However, the
operations of the
company
essentially targets
youths and those
who are
comfortable with
high level
operations of the
smart phones,
thereby
constricting the
clienele.
smart phones,
flash selling shows
immense prospects
in the near future.
The eye catching
marketing
strategies of the
company also
complements with
the same
(Whimbey,
Lochhead and
Narode 2013).
the global
scenario. In this
context, if the
company does not
go on continually
improvising and
coming up with
newer marketing
strategies then it
may face threats of
substantial revenue
loss in face of the
fierce
competitions.
It is clear from the analysis that the company website needs to be modified according to
the needs of the customers in order to appeal to more and more customers. The display of too
many discounts and the management of the websites need to be catered to.

5BUSINESS ANALYSIS
Answer 3:
It is clear from the SWOT analysis of Secretsales.com that the company needs to analyze
the competitive advantage with respect to other existing competitors in the market. It also needs
to understand that the portal or the online site options which are available to the customers need
to be modified. The benefits to be provided by other companies need to be compared to the
benefits provided by secret sales in order to benefit from the overall sales of the company. The
company heads need to devise new and innovative ideas in order to score over other well
established competitors in the market (Wijngaarden, Scholten and Wijk 2012).
Another issue that has come to the fore regarding this particular analysis is the time
which is taken by the company to deliver products to the customers which might prove to be
problematic in the long run. It also needs to be understood that there established competitors in
the market who have already secured customer loyalty (Whimbey, Lochhead and Narode 2013).
The company also needs to take into account the financial security of the customers, in order to
maintain their goodwill. This is because the transactions of money primarily take place in an
online interface, where the scopes of infiltration and hacking are much higher.
Answer 4:
The company needs to employ trained web designers and professionals to make the portal
and the site better. It also needs to add short term as well as timely offers on as much of a
majority range of products as possible. It also needs to devise methods to defeat the existing
competitors in the market in order to emerge as the supreme winner. Experienced web
developers and marketing strategists need to be employed by the company to resolve the issues
arising online. Along with this, it is required for the enterprise to make its accounting and finance

6BUSINESS ANALYSIS
sector robust so as to manage the financial transactions of the company, the clients as well as
those in the supply chain efficiently.