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Detailed SWOT Analysis of Victoria’s Secret – The largest Retailer Of lingerie In The United States

Updated on: Feb 8, 2022
SWOT Analysis of Victoria's Secret - Featured Image

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Last time we went through the SWOT analysis of CarMax. This time we are going through a SWOT analysis of Victoria’s Secret. 

One of the largest retailers of lingerie and intimate wear in the US – Victoria’s Secret designs and manufactures lingerie and underwear for women. Victoria’s Secret also has a cosmetics and makeup collection. Victoria’s Secret prides itself on being a leading retailer of intimate clothes and personal items, and the company’s reputation for excellence is maintained through its 1,827 specialized locations and catalog distribution.

Another factor that has helped Victoria’s Secret maintain its leadership position is its marketing initiatives. As the globe is being swept away by online businesses, marketing has taken a remarkable turn, and if you want to learn about the newest in the digital marketing field, go here –  check out our Free MasterClass on Digital Marketing 101 by the CEO and Founder of IIDE, Karan Shah.

As a result, the purpose of this article is to supply you with useful information about the brand, including the most recent statistics, updates, and even how Victoria’s Secret came to dominate the lingerie sector. So, let’s get to know Victoria’s Secret a little more before we go into the SWOT analysis of Victoria’s Secret.

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About Victoria’s Secret

SWOT Analysis of Victoria's Secret - Victoria's Secret Lingerie

Victoria’s Secret is a company based in the United States. It is the largest lingerie retailer in the United States. Roy Raymond started it in 1977 in San Francisco. The company’s headquarters are located in Columbus, Ohio. Victoria’s Secret operates through franchisees in the Asia Pacific and Europe and has storefronts in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The brand has acted as an inspiration for regional businesses as one of the pioneers in the lingerie industry.

The company, which is a market leader in innerwear, has over 1000 stores in the United States alone and controls one-third of the global lingerie market for women. Pink, a lingerie brand aimed towards young ladies, is the company’s main product line.

 

Quick Stats on Victoria’s Secret
Founder Roy Raymond & Gaye Raymond
Year Founded 1977
Origin The United States
No. of Employees 30,000+
Company Type Public
Market Cap $ 5.094 Billion (2021)
Annual Revenue $ 11.84 Billion (2021)
Net Income/ Profit $ 844 Million (2021)

 

SWOT Analysis of Victoria's Secret - Victoria's Secret Fragrances


Products of Victoria’s Secret

  • Lingerie
  • Activewear
  • Fragrances
  • Make-Up
  • Body products


Close Competitors of Victoria’s Secret

  • Adore Me
  • ThirdLove
  • Nordstrom
  • True & Co
  • Calvin Klein


Now that we’ve seen a concise overview of the company, we can go right into the SWOT analysis of Victoria’s Secret.


SWOT Analysis of Victoria’s Secret
 

A SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning and management approach for determining an organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to commercial competitiveness or project planning. It’s a valuable planning approach that allows Victoria’s Secret to compare its performance to that of its competitors and the whole industry.

To better understand the SWOT analysis of Victoria’s Secret, refer to the infographic below:

SWOT Analysis of Victoia's Secret - SWOT Infographics of Victoria's Secret  

So let us first start by looking at the strengths of Victoria’s Secret from the SWOT analysis of Victoria’s Secret.

Strengths of Victoria’s Secret

  • Brand Presence: Brand recognition and visibility on a national and worldwide scale with over 1000 corporate outlets throughout the world.
  • Fashion Show: The annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which is broadcast on all major fashion publications and networks, is responsible for most of Victoria’s Secret’s popularity. The show features not only the season’s newest styles but also high-priced fashion events.
  • Premium Customer: Victoria Secret’s best strength is its huge list of devoted consumers who purchase lingerie and innerwear from the company regularly. This is feasible not just as a result of the company’s product quality, but also as a result of its customer engagement activities.
  • Marketing and Advertising: Because of the nature of their product line, Victoria’s Secret is unable to rely on conventional advertising. Victoria’s Secret, on the other hand, has been able to penetrate the minds of female audiences through commercials in glossy fashion publications and brand placements in films. Active internet marketing by the company, which includes active blogs, social media presence, and catalogues to raise awareness of their product lines.
  • Celebrity Following: Unlike other fashion companies that have celebrity endorsements, Victoria’s Secret is a brand that produces celebrities. Many of the models that promoted their products have gone on to become superstars, and the brand always selects models who are relatable to their target audience, which is largely female. The models serve as the lingerie brand’s initial point of contact with its clients.
  • In-store Experience: Women choose to purchase at Victoria’s Secret not because of the reasonable prices, but because of the exceptional customer service the business offers. The in-store experience is completed with pink decor, large and sultry fitting rooms, knowledgeable and friendly employees, and a strong desire for innovation.


Weaknesses of Victoria’s Secret

  • Research and Development: Investment in R&D is lower than that of the industry’s fastest-growing companies. Despite spending more on research and development than the industry average, Victoria’s Secret has been unable to compete in terms of innovation with the industry’s leading companies. It appears to be a well-established company eager to release goods with market-proven characteristics.
  • High Attrition Rate: In comparison to other companies in the sector, Victoria’s Secret has a greater turnover rate and should spend significantly more on staff training and development than its competitors.
  • Poor Penetration: The majority of Victoria’s Secret consumers live in Tier 1 or urban areas. As a result, the majority of their outlets are in cities, and the brand’s penetration into smaller towns is quite minimal. Most markets, on the other hand, are focusing on these areas.
  • Switching to a New Product Line: To compete with the lower-cost competitors, the company began to focus on new product lines. Some of the most recent product introductions have received negative responses from the market, particularly in terms of comfort. As a result, many of the brand’s long-term customers have switched to competitor brands.
  • High Day Inventory: When compared to rivals, days inventory is high, forcing the company to acquire more funds to spend in the channel. This may affect Victoria’s Secret’s long-term growth.


Opportunities for Victoria’s Secret

  • Emerging Markets: Because of rising income levels, rising population, and most importantly, changing gender equations among youngsters, which involves openness of sexuality, emerging markets are promising for Victoria’s Secret growth.
  • New Taxation Policy: The new tax policy might have a big influence on company practices and provide new opportunities for established businesses like Victoria’s Secret to raise profits. 
  • Online Advantage: The corporation has put a lot of money into the internet platform in the last few years. Victoria’s Secret has gained access to a new sales channel as a result of this investment. In the next few years, the corporation can capitalize on this potential by better understanding its customers and meeting their demands using big data analytics.


Threats to Victoria’s Secret

  • Intense Competition: Over the previous two years, stable profitability has expanded the number of participants in the market, putting downward pressure on not only profitability but on overall sales.
  • Fake Products: Several brands are replicas of well-known designer labels. People are hesitant to spend a lot of money on lingerie, so they go for cheaper replicas.
  • Emerging Local Distributors: Local distributors’ growing power poses a challenge in some sectors, as the competition pays local distributors better margins.
  • Online Market: The present physical infrastructure-driven supply chain paradigm may be threatened by changing customer buying behaviour through online networks.
  • Less Discount: When it comes to product promotion and discounts, most lingerie companies go above and beyond what Victoria’s Secret does.


This ends our detailed SWOT analysis of Victoria’s Secret. Let us conclude our learning below.

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To Conclude

True, Victoria’s Secret is a well-known brand with a significant following throughout the world. Following the SWOT analysis of Victoria’s Secret, we discovered that the company’s primary driving element in the present and past is its marketing strategy, but that it needs to enhance its attention on other market segments rather than relying on the US.

On a worldwide basis, lingerie companies are becoming increasingly competitive. The latter implies that, given the fierce competition, the only way to succeed is to thrive in the ever-changing online world of digital marketing. 

In today’s world, being well-versed and efficient is critical to success as a multinational corporation. If you want to learn a new talent or invest in improving your digital marketing skills, feel free to check out IIDE’s 4 Month Advanced Online Digital Marketing Course to know more.

We hope this blog on the SWOT analysis of Victoria’s Secret has given you a good insight into the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

If you enjoy in-depth company research just like the SWOT analysis of Victoria’s Secret, check out our IIDE Knowledge portal for more fascinating case studies.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and do share your thoughts on this case study of the SWOT analysis of Victoria’s Secret in the comments section below.

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Aditya Shastri

Lead Trainer & Head of Learning & Development at IIDE

Leads the Learning & Development segment at IIDE. He is a Content Marketing Expert and has trained 6000+ students and working professionals on various topics of Digital Marketing. He has been a guest speaker at prominent colleges in India including IIMs......[Read full bio]

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