It is important for any company that strives to launch proper strategies to comprehend how to carry out a SWOT analysis. In this post, I will provide a real-life example of a SWOT analysis and explain step by step how it can be used for strategy development, particularly for businesses in the Lancaster.
What is a SWOT analysis?
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, a comprehensive analysis – though quite basic – used to assess various factors that a business faces.
- Strengths: Internal factors that provide your business with the edge over the rivals.
- Weaknesses: Those structural factors that cause your business to be in a weak position.
- Opportunities: They are external conditions that are in the environment and can be leveraged for a business.
- Threats: The outside factors that may lead to problems in your business.
Real-world example: the cozy cup cafe
Here is a real swot analysis example of The Cozy Cup Cafe, a small coffee shop located in the heart of London.
Strengths
- Location: Located in a well busy area such that it gets a lot of casual traffic.
- Quality: Popular for its fine cup of coffee and the beautiful smiles of the staff.
- Loyal customers: It has a loyal following which enjoys the crema brewed by the cafe.
Weaknesses
- Limited space: Small seating area, this may prove to be a challenge during rush hours.
- Marketing: Lack of internet profile built up which leads to inability to gain new clientele.
- Staff turnover: Low retention of employees who deliver services to the clients implying an inconsistency in service delivery.
Opportunities
- Expanding delivery services: Opportunity to expand by bringing coffee to the offices in the vicinity.
- Social media marketing: Higher activity and awareness through the enhancement of accounts on social media websites.
- Partnerships: Sourcing more products from the local bakeries to ensure that the company provides customers with a better array of goods.
Threats
- Competition: New competition emerging in the form of coffee shops in the proximity, which can be presumed as threats.
- Economic downturn: Fluctuations on the aspect of economic status of the people so that they will be tight fist on the money they spend.
- Supply chain issues: Threats of a similar nature include inability to source coffee beans, which are the basic raw material for the products.
How to Implement a SWOT analysis
Implementing a SWOT analysis involves several steps:
- Gather data: Gather data to identify your business’s internal and external environments with the four factors, namely SWOT. This can be achieved through internal assessment, clients’ feedback and surveys or any other industry assessment.
- Organise information: SWOT analysis should be done systematically and it is advisable to have a template that will help one to organise results under the four categories.
- Analyse and prioritise: Determine the importance of each factor and arrange them focusing on their relevance to your business. Develop Strategies: Develop practical plans to capitalise on the strength and opportunities that are available to you while at the same time how to manage your weaknesses and threats.
How deeply understand the SWOT analysis process in 2024
If you want specific information on how to conduct a SWOT analysis, you can check it out in Adobe Express. There is a lot that Adobe Express provides that can be of help in the formulation of SWOT analysis and this page offers some of the best pieces of advice that would help anyone who harnesses its use.
Conclusion
Any firm that wants to enhance its strategic management should use a SWOT analysis as the foundation. Looking into Cafe as a real life SWOT analysis example will show you that such analysis helps in finding major areas of strength, weakness, opportunities and threats.
These tips can help you perform a SWOT analysis and develop strategies to propel your business forward. Start researching the right tactics and examples to create an effective SWOT analysis for your Lancaster business today.
M Umair 
Abdul Basit