storefront

The storefront is the customer-facing part of a retail establishment, including the façade, display windows, entrance, signage, and the portion of the interior visible from the street. It serves to attract pedestrians, convey brand identity, and provide access to merchandise.

Architectural elements and styles. Fixed glazing, display windows, doors, canopies, lighting. Materials include glass, metal, brick, wood. Styles vary from traditional cast‑iron façades to modern glass storefronts. Design must meet codes and accessibility requirements; energy efficiency considerations influence glazing and shading.

Economic role. A storefront influences visibility, foot traffic, merchandising, and first impressions; crucial for urban retail performance.

Online storefront. In e-commerce, storefront refers to the customer-facing online shop or store page, featuring catalogs, product pages, search, cart, and checkout. Can be hosted on platforms or integrated with back-end systems; design affects usability and conversions.

Additional context. In software contexts, storefront may describe the front-end store interface or a storefront API used to connect commerce features to applications.