Running an online store means keeping your customers happy and your catalog organized. One common frustration for shoppers is seeing products listed that are no longer available. In WooCommerce, you have the option to hide out of stock products and create a smoother shopping experience.
Why Hide Out of Stock Products in WooCommerce?
Showing unavailable items can harm user experience. Customers waste time browsing products they cannot purchase. By hiding them, you:
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Improve store navigation
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Reduce cart abandonment
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Increase customer satisfaction
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Keep your catalog looking professional
How to Hide Out of Stock Products in WooCommerce
1. Use WooCommerce Settings
WooCommerce includes a built-in feature to hide unavailable products:
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Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Inventory
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Check Hide out of stock items from the catalog
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Save changes
Your store will automatically remove unavailable items from the front-end.
2. Use Plugins for More Control
If you want advanced filtering and sorting, plugins are available. One effective option is Sort & Hide Out of Stock for WooCommerce. This plugin allows you to:
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Automatically hide unavailable items
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Sort products to display available items first
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Customize how stock visibility works across your store
3. Custom Code for Developers
For store owners with coding knowledge, you can add a snippet in your theme’s functions.php file. This method offers more flexibility but requires technical expertise.
Benefits of Hiding Out of Stock Products
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Cleaner store design
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Less customer frustration
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Higher chances of conversion
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Better overall shopping experience
If you want a simple and reliable method, check out the Sort & Hide Out of Stock for WooCommerce plugin.
FAQs
1. Can I automatically hide products when stock reaches zero?
Yes. WooCommerce has a built-in option for this, and plugins like Sort & Hide Out of Stock provide even more automation.
2. Will hidden products still appear in search engines?
By default, hidden products are excluded from the catalog but may still be indexed. Using SEO plugins, you can control their visibility.
3. Can I show out of stock products but mark them clearly?
Yes. If you prefer transparency, you can display items with an “Out of Stock” label instead of hiding them.
4. Do plugins slow down my WooCommerce store?
Lightweight and well-coded plugins like Sort & Hide Out of Stock are optimized to avoid performance issues.
5. Is hiding out of stock products good for SEO?
Yes. It reduces bounce rates by keeping visitors focused on available products, improving engagement signals for search engines.
