Control

Strengths: Victoria's Secret control is very fast and easy to navigate.  If you click on a link, it will bring you to the right page, at a fast speed. 

Weaknesses: A huge weakness is that on the Victoria's Secret website, there are bold headings that look like they can be links, however you cannot click on them.  This could frustrate the customer tremendously and it might even discourage them from looking on the site.

Opportunities: Victoria's Secret should make a link a different color after you already clicked on the link.  This will let the customer know that they already viewed the page and this way the customer will not get confused when searching the website.

Threats: I feel like competitors control of their website is a lot easier to navigate and the link really look like links that you can click on.  Sometimes on the Victoria's Secret website, you do not know if the link is a real link or if it is just information on the page.

Accessibility

Strengths:  Victoria's Secret is currently utilizing all their social media platforms in order to make the brand more accessible to their customers.  They are extremely active on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagram.  They also utilize television commercials and catalogs in order to reach their customers who are not "tech savvy."  By Victoria's Secret participating in traditional and digital advertising, they are impacting a larger audience.  Also, the company has a huge strength in the number of stores that they have.  The large amount of stores that they offer are able to reach a large consumer base.  Lastly, they are a well-established brand, so their name is already renowned in the market. 

Weaknesses:  One of the main weaknesses associated with Victoria's Secret is that all of their products are not offered at all locations.  More than half of what Victoria's Secret sells online cannot be found in stores.  This is a major inconvenience for their customers.  Victoria's Secret stores do not sell clothing, shoes and accessories that are offered online.  If their product selection were offered at all locations, the customer would have an easier and more predictable shopping experience. 

Opportunities: Victoria's Secret currently does not have many international stores.  This is a huge opportunity for their accessibility.  A lot of people from around the world come to the United States to shop at Victoria's Secret.   It would benefit the company tremendously if they made international stores for their loyal customer base.  For countries that do not have a Victoria's Secret store, they have to shop online.  However, shipping costs are tremendously high and  Victoria's Secret does not even ship to some countries.  

Threats: Victoria's Secret does not have the sizing options like other lingerie stores such as Lane Bryant.  This is a huge threat to the company because they are forgetting a huge market segment that they could be selling products too.  Stores like Lane Bryant take possible Victoria's Secret loyal customers because of this issue.  I believe that Victoria's Secret needs to expand their sizing options and look into what their customer is actually looking for. 

Digitization

Strengths:  Victoria's Secret currently updated its PINK page on Victoriassecret.com.  This led to a more cohesive brand image that was formed.  The new PINK page will increase brand loyalty among their customers and will set them apart from their competitors.  

Weaknesses: A huge weakness to Victoria's Secret's digitization is cost.  Recreating the PINK portion of the website costs as much as $1,000,000. Victoria's Secret should also have a "Check In Store" option where they can see if certain products are in certain stores.

Opportunities: An opportunity for Victoria's Secret's digitization would be sales.  By having a "Check In Store" option on their website, products would be easier to buy.  Products like swimwear and make-up are more appealing to buy in a Victoria's Secret store rather than buying online.  Also, by updating the PINK section of their website, it will further distance the line from the traditional Victoria's Secret line.  Maybe, creating a separate PINK website might be a smart idea as well.  

Threats: If Victoria's Secret were to create a "Check In Store" option, this might lead to loss E-commerce sales.  Customers might only go online to look at products then go to the store to buy them.  Some customers might even stop being E-commerce customers all together.  Also, Victoria's Secret does not have a good return policy when you purchase goods online and you want to return them.  The old policy stated that you had to ship your goods back at your own convenience and pay for shipping as well.  Competitors have free returns and in store returns as well, which Victoria's Secret does not.  However, Victoria's Secret recently changed their policy so you could bring the merchandise you want to return in store, but they will only ship it back for you.  You cannot exchange the merchandise in store for a different item, nor can you get refunded in store as well.  This is a huge threat to the company, especially since competitors let you return very easily. 

Positioning of the Site to Brick and Mortar

The Victoria's Secret site is similar and different to their brick and mortar stores in many ways.  The Victoria's Secret site and the brick and mortar stores follow the same color combinations and look.  Both are meant to be very feminine.  You will mainly see colors of pinks and reds when you are in the store and when you are on the website.  Both also use the Victoria's Secret "Angels" to promote the products.  When you walk into a store, there are pictures of the "Angels" all over the place.  When you go on their website, you will see the same exact models everywhere.  Both the store and the website and using the models to really promote the products and send a message that if you wear the products that the models are wearing, then you could look and feel as sexy as they are.  Victoria's Secret is great at marketing because of this aspect.  They get into the customer's mind very well and show them that you don't necessarily have to be a model in order to look or feel sexy.  Lastly, the prices on the website are mainly the same as the prices in store.  If there is a promotion in store, there will probably be the same promotion on the website.  However, sometimes the website will offer free shipping, money off of a purchase, or a gift with purchase.  That is the only difference considering pricing online and in store.

However, there are many differences between the two as well.  The main difference is that the Victoria's Secret site has way more product than the Victoria's Secret store.  The Victoria's Secret website has clothes, shoes, and accessories which you could buy.  The store does not have any of these products.  Although the stores have the PINK collection and the Supermodels collection, they do not have the clothing items and shoes that are offered online.  These clothes and shoes offered online are mainly third party companies, which may have an effect on why the merchandise is not offered in stores.  Also, the sizes in a Victoria's Secret store are limited.  It would be very hard to find a size that is higher than a 38 band.  The only time you really see these sizes is when it is Semi-Annual sale.  When you go online though, you can pick these sizes. Online you can even go as big as a 38 DDD.  You will almost never find that size in a Victoria's Secret store.  This is something that Victoria's Secret should work on so that they can have more similarities between the store and the website in order to make each coincide with each other.  

Current Content

On Victoriassecret.com, there is a section called VS All Access that you can click on.  I consider this to be Victoria's Secret's own blog.  You can find anywhere from News and Events to information about the Supermodels.  There is a "What is Sexy?" list where you can vote for celebrities who are the sexiest Tweeters and Up and Coming Bombshell.  On the VS All Access page, you can even watch the Fashion Show that aired in November 2012 and watch workout videos to help you lose weight!  You can follow the Angels around while they work out and do the exercises that they do.  One of the most important pages is the Connect page.  This is the page where Victoria's Secret tells you to connect with them on: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Spotify, on your Iphone, Ipad, Android, Email and Text.  They really want you to be part of the company in every social media outlet there is.  The company wants you to stay on top of all the news and/or upcoming events.