WooCommerce: How to Change the Available Quantity Visibility (Easy Guide for Beginners)
So, you’re running a WooCommerce store and want to tweak how your product stock levels are displayed to your customers? Maybe you want to hide the exact quantity altogether, or perhaps show a “limited stock” warning. This guide will walk you through the various ways to change the available quantity visibility in your WooCommerce store, even if you’re a complete beginner.
Think of it like this: Imagine you’re at a farmer’s market. If a vendor has a massive pile of apples, they might not say “Exactly 257 apples left!” They Discover insights on How To Set Up A Woocommerce Site might just say “Plenty of apples!” But if they only have a Discover insights on How To Configure Bogo In Woocommerce handful, they might say “Only a few left!” to create a sense of urgency. That’s what we’re doing here, but in your online store.
Why Change the Learn more about How To Add Ninja Form To Woocommerce Single Product Page Visible Quantity?
Before we dive into *how*, let’s quickly cover *why* you might want to:
- Create Scarcity: Showing “Only 3 left!” can encourage hesitant buyers to make a purchase quickly. This is especially effective for products that are popular or seasonal. Think of limited-edition sneakers or tickets to a concert.
- Reduce Anxiety: If you have a huge inventory, showing a large number like “2576 in stock” might seem impersonal or overwhelming. Simply saying “In stock” can be a better approach.
- Protect Against Scalpers/Bots: If you sell limited-edition items that are targeted by scalpers using bots, hiding the exact quantity makes it harder for them to target specific products.
- Streamline the Look: Sometimes, just simplifying the product page contributes to a cleaner, more professional aesthetic.
- Manage Customer Expectations: Showing “Available on backorder” is crucial if you accept orders for items that aren’t currently in stock.
- Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Inventory.
- Look for the “Stock display format” setting. You’ll usually have these options:
- “Always show stock e.g. 5 in stock” (This shows the exact quantity)
- “Only show stock when low e.g. Only 2 left” (This only displays when you hit your low stock threshold)
- “Never show stock amount” (This hides the quantity completely)
- Change the setting to your desired option. For example, selecting “Never show stock amount” will simply display “In Stock” or “Out of Stock” without specifying the number.
- Variation Stock Display: This plugin allows you to manage the stock display for product variations.
- YITH WooCommerce Stock Manager: A comprehensive plugin for managing stock, including the ability to customize how stock levels are displayed.
- Customizing low stock messages.
- Showing ranges of quantities (e.g., “Less than 10”).
- Displaying different messages for different products.
Methods to Change the Available Quantity Visibility
There are several ways to achieve this, ranging from simple WooCommerce settings to more advanced code modifications. We’ll start with the easiest:
1. WooCommerce’s Built-in Settings (Limited Control)
WooCommerce offers some basic control over stock display right out of the box. However, it’s fairly limited in scope.
Reasoning: This is the simplest method but offers the least flexibility. It’s a good starting point if you just want to hide the quantity entirely or only show it when stock is low.
2. Using a Plugin (More Flexibility)
Several plugins offer more granular control over stock display. A search for “woocommerce stock quantity” in the WordPress plugin directory will reveal many options. Here are a couple of popular examples:
Reasoning: Plugins offer a user-friendly interface for making complex changes without touching code. They often provide options like:
3. Custom Code Snippets (Maximum Control)
For maximum control, you can use custom code snippets to modify the WooCommerce quantity display. Important: Always back up your website before making code changes! Consider using a child theme to avoid losing your changes when the theme updates.
Here’s an example of how you could customize the stock message using a PHP snippet:
add_filter( 'woocommerce_get_stock_html', 'custom_stock_message', 10, 2 );
function custom_stock_message( $html, $product ) {
if ( $product->is_in_stock() ) {
$stock_quantity = $product->get_stock_quantity();
if ( $stock_quantity > 10 ) {
$html = ‘
Available: Plenty in stock!
‘;
} elseif ( $stock_quantity > 0 && $stock_quantity <= 10 ) {
$html = ‘
Available: Limited stock!
‘;
}
} else {
$html = Discover insights on How To Set Timezone In Woocommerce ‘
Out of stock
‘;
}
return $html;
}
Explanation:
- `add_filter( ‘woocommerce_get_stock_html’, ‘custom_stock_message’, 10, 2 );` This line hooks into the WooCommerce filter that controls the stock HTML output.
- `custom_stock_message( $html, $product )` is our function that will modify the stock message.
- `$product->is_in_stock()` checks if the product is in stock.
- `$product->get_stock_quantity()` gets the current stock quantity.
- The `if` and `elseif` statements determine which message to display based on the stock quantity.
- `$html` is the modified HTML that will be displayed.
How to implement the code:
- Option 1: functions.php (Child Theme): Add this code to your theme’s `functions.php` file. Important: Do this in a child theme to avoid losing your changes when the theme updates.
- Option 2: Code Snippets Plugin: Use a plugin like “Code Snippets” to easily add and manage code snippets without directly editing your theme files. This is a safer and cleaner approach.
Reasoning: Code snippets provide complete control. You can customize the message based on specific criteria, product categories, or even user roles. For instance, you could show different stock messages to wholesale customers versus retail customers. However, this approach requires some PHP knowledge.
Choosing the Right Method
- Simple Changes (Hiding Entirely or Low Stock Only): Use WooCommerce’s built-in settings.
- Moderate Customization (Custom Messages, Quantity Ranges): Use a plugin.
- Advanced Customization (Conditional Logic, Product-Specific Messages): Use custom code snippets.
Important Considerations
- Testing: After making any changes, thoroughly test your website to ensure that the stock display is working as expected on different devices and browsers.
- Mobile Responsiveness: Make sure your stock messages are displayed properly on mobile devices.
- Accessibility: Ensure your stock messages are accessible to users with disabilities. Use clear and concise language and provide alternative text for any images.
By following these steps, you can easily change the available quantity visibility in your WooCommerce store to better suit your business needs and improve the customer experience. Good luck!