PEST Analysis Template

Situation being analysed: ______________________________________________________________________

PEST analysis (political, economical, social, technological) assesses a market, including
competitors, from the standpoint of a particular proposition or a business.

criteria examples Political Economical criteria examples

ecological/environment
al current legislation
future legislation
international legislation
regulatory bodies and
processes
government policies
government term and
change
trading policies
funding, grants and
initiatives
home market pressure-
groups
international pressure-
groups
wars and conflicts
• Change in policies e.g. • Tax on beer
licensing laws • Rising costs home economy
• Change in government • Recession, less economy trends
• From October local disposable income overseas economies
councils have power to general taxation
instigate licensing taxation specific to
reviews product/services
• Challenge 21 seasonality issues
legislation market/trade cycles
needs to be in specific industry factors
operation market routes trends
distribution trends
• Anti-drinking/health
customer/end-user
lobbies by government
drivers
interest/ exchange
rates
international trade and
monetary issues

criteria examples Social Technological criteria examples

• Drinking habits • Other venues offer
lifestyle trends changing games consoles competing technology
demographics • Ageing population • Sky TV development
consumer attitudes and • Younger people binge • Till system – unable to research funding
opinions drinking record special offers or associated/dependent
media views • Consumers attitudes provide trends technologies
law changes affecting changing e.g. want • Pubs have large replacement
social factors more from pubs screens for Sport technology/solutions
brand, company, maturity of technology
• People go out for food • Dispensing equipment
technology image manufacturing maturity
• Community spirit being dated – quality
consumer buying and capacity
lost compromised?
patterns information and
• Rising costs of living, • Electronic door system
fashion and role communications
working longer hours – record trends
models consumer buying
major events and • CCTV – mandatory mechanisms/technolog
influences y
buying access and technology legislation
trends innovation potential
ethnic/religious factors technology access,
advertising and licencing, patents
publicity intellectual property
ethical issues issues
global communications

Note: PEST analysis can be useful before SWOT analysis because PEST helps to identify SWOT
factors. PEST and SWOT are two different perspectives but can contain common factors. SWOT
stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats.