Front of House (FOH) vs. Back of House (BOH) in Retail: How to Get Both Teams in Sync

Illustration of a storefront on the left next to its warehouse on the right

Processes are everything in running a retail store. When team members know what they’re responsible for and the area of the store they operate within, nothing falls through the cracks,

Most importantly, when your business runs like a well-oiled machine, store visitors get the frictionless shopping experience that convinces them to buy.

Splitting your team into front of house and back of house is the simplest way to break down responsibilities and areas of the store. This guide explains the difference between the two, the retail positions associated with each, and the benefit of having both teams in sync.

What is the front of the house?

Front of house (FOH) refers to any customer-facing employees in your store. It’s their job to create a friendly shopping environment, solve customer questions, and guide visitors toward a purchase.

FOH employees must possess excellent customer service skills. They must have good communication and negotiation skills because they are the frontline workers, dealing with customers face-to-face.

What is the back of the house?

Back of house (BOH) refers to any non-customer-facing employees, such as accountants or stockroom managers. These team members don’t interact with customers face-to-face. Instead, they managestore operationsand keep things running smoothly from behind the scenes.

FOH vs. BOH in retail

Front of house staff are customer-facing employees. Those working in the back rarely come into contact with customers, but that doesn’t mean they play any less of a role for your store. Teamwork creates a seamless shopping experience for in-store customers.

Say, for example, a customer visits your store looking for a new pair of sneakers. The shop floor only showcases one pair of each design. Your FOH retail associate helps the customer choose one.

Once a customer has decided, the retail associate goes to the stockroom and asks a BOHinventory specialistto find the same design in the customer’s shoe size. Both teams have worked together to try and make a sale, even though just one team member communicates with the customer.

啵员工承担积压,技术问题,and other problems encountered by the FOH team. They must be excellent planners, be analytical, and have good problem-solving skills to perform their roles properly.

Robert Johnson, marketing director at Coast Appliances

Common areas for FOH staff

Entry

When new shoppers enter your store, first impressions count. Front of house employees should be there to greet potential customers, making them feel welcome and comfortable during their visit.

The entrance of your store is also a great opportunity to learn more about your potential customer. What drew them to your store? What are they looking for? What problems are they looking to solve? Answers to these questions help you fine-tune yoursales approach.

Sales floor

销售是你的团队的主要的面前focus. FOH retail associates should keep the area neat and tidy,optimize the store’s layout, and process payments at your checkout desk. It’s their job to guide first-time visitors toward choosing the right products and leaving with a purchase.

Changing rooms

Changing rooms are an important part of most shopping experiences. The ability to touch, try on, and interact with products influences82% of peopleto do their initial shopping for a product in-store instead of online.

Whether it’s avirtual fitting roomor traditional changing area, FOH employees manage this area. It’s their responsibility to keep the area clean, move unwanted inventory back to the sales floor, and prevent theft.

Common areas for BOH staff

Stockroom

Back of house retail staff manage your stockroom—the holding area for unsold inventory.

While customers don’t see your stockroom, it’s important to keep the area clean, clutter-free, and well organized. The easier it is to find a specific product, the faster it’ll be to provide a customer with the products they want to buy.

Warehouse

Larger retail stores, or those with multiple locations, oftenstore inventoryin an offsite warehouse. These storage areas can be much larger than any individual store, and come complete with their own BOH teams.

Warehouse staff—including quality control associates, inventory receivers, and machine operators—receive inventoryand manage order fulfillment. They pick, pack, and ship items to a customer’s home address if the item the customer was viewing in-store wasn’t immediately available to take home.

Retail office

Think of your retail office as the hub for your back of house operations. Whether the office is in the back of your store or offsite, it’s the place for accountants, marketers, and buyers to come together and make sure the back end of your business runs smoothly.

FOH retail positions

Retail associate

Retail associates是最重要的你可以雇佣员工吗e. Also known as sales associates, they’re front of house employees who deliver customer service and convince shoppers to purchase your products.

This type of FOH employee is responsible for:

  • Greeting customers as they enter the store
  • Restocking shelves and organizing inventory on the sales floor
  • Answering product questions and guiding customers toward a purchase

Cashier

A cashier works at the checkout counter and processes customer orders.Train cashiersto use your point-of-sale (POS) system and to handle FOH tasks like:

  • Creating customer profiles for new shoppers
  • Recording sales to keep yourinventory managementsystem accurate
  • Processing gift cards, returns, and exchanges
  • Handling cash and processing card payments
  • Analyzing POS data

Store manager

Retail store managershave ultimate responsibility for in-store experiences. They’re the first port of call for any issues that FOH staff are facing, and deal with unhappy customers who want to bypass a store associate and speak to a manager.

Alongside this responsibility, store managers:

Merchandising specialist

A merchandising specialist is responsible for making inventory look appealing to store visitors. Visual merchandising tasks that fall into their remit include:

  • Creatingwindow displaysthat increase foot traffic
  • Answering product-specific customer questions
  • Promoting specific products in-store and throughlocal marketing

BOH retail positions

Inventory specialist

An inventory specialist works in your stockroom. They’re one of the most important back of house team members your store has, since they handle products you generate revenue from. They’re in the trenches, physically touching your stock and ensuring it’s on hand for store shoppers.

It’s an inventory specialist’s job to:

  • Forecast demandaround peak seasons
  • Analyze inventory reports and prioritize items to restock
  • 实现一个策略reduce inventory costs
  • Keep up with inventory quality standards
  • Prevent inventory shrinkage and theft

Stockroom manager

Stockroom managers are a valuable part of your BOH retail team since they keep stockroom operations running smoothly. They’re responsible for larger scale, long-term tasks like:

Accountant

If the back end of your retail business runs like a well-oiled machine, there’s a good chance your accounting team is involved. Accountants handle the financial aspect of running the store. It’s their job to:

  • Pay suppliers and vendors
  • Report oncash flow, profit, and loss
  • Calculate beginning and ending inventory
  • Set open-to-buy budgets
  • File your store’s tax returns

Better manage your store’s FOH and BOH operations

Although FOH and BOH are sorted into two different buckets, the old saying applies: Teamwork makes the dream work. Empower both teams to complete their responsibilities in their own area of the store, while also encouraging them to work together.

When both teams collaborate, store visitors get excellent shopping experiences—the types that make them more inclined to spend money at your retail location.

FOH + BOH = Shopify POS

2022欧宝娱乐苹果下载 is a single back end that powers both your FOH and BOH teams. Get your retail staff working from the same page for operations harmony.

FOH vs BOH FAQs

Which is harder BOH or FOH?

It really depends on the specific job and the individual's experience. Both positions require a different set of skills and have their own unique challenges. Generally speaking, a Back of House (BOH) position is more physically demanding, as it involves a lot of time touching stock and make sure there is enough stock for the business to run smoothly. On the other hand, a Front of House (FOH) position is more customer-service oriented and involves more interaction with customers.

What is the difference between FOH and BOH?

FOH staff are responsible for providing the best customer experience possible and friendly shopping environment. While BOH staff are responsible for any non-customer-facing activities.