How to Show Out of Stock Products in WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide

Running an online store with WooCommerce means managing inventory effectively. While you want to highlight your available products, handling out-of-stock items gracefully is crucial for a positive customer experience. Showing out-of-stock products correctly can increase sales by allowing customers to: sign up for notifications, see when the product might be back in stock, and discover similar items. This guide explains various methods to display out-of-stock products in WooCommerce, helping you optimize your store and retain customer interest.

Main Part: Showing Out-of-Stock Products Effectively

Method 1: Using WooCommerce’s Default Settings

WooCommerce, by default, hides out-of-stock products from your shop pages. However, you can easily change this setting. This method is the simplest and requires no plugins or complex code.

• Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Check out this post: How To Export And Import Order From Woocommerce Products > Inventory.
• Under the “Out of stock visibility” section, select “Show” from the dropdown menu.

Save changes.

Now, your out-of-stock products will be visible on your shop and category pages, but usually they’ll be marked as “Out of stock”.

Method 2: Customizing the Out-of-Stock Message

While displaying out-of-stock products is important, customizing the message accompanying them is equally vital. A clear and engaging message improves the customer experience and encourages engagement.

• You can customize the out-of-stock message using either a plugin (like the free “WooCommerce Custom Product Tabs” plugin) or by editing your theme’s template files (This requires coding knowledge and is not recommended for beginners).

A good out-of-stock message might include information about expected restock dates, suggestions for similar products, or an option to sign up for email notifications.

Method 3: Adding “Notify Me” Functionality

Offering a “Notify Me” option when a product is out of stock is an excellent strategy to capture leads and boost future sales. Several plugins provide this functionality, improving customer engagement and managing backorder requests effectively.

• Popular plugins include Back in Stock Notifications for WooCommerce and similar options.

These plugins typically allow customers to enter their email addresses to receive notifications when the product is back in stock.

Method 4: Displaying Out-of-Stock Products in Separate Categories

Consider creating a separate category or page specifically for out-of-stock products. This allows customers to browse discontinued items or items expected back in stock, improving the overall site organization and Explore this article on How To Indent Woocommerce user experience. This is particularly useful for products that might be coming back in stock soon.

Conclusion: Optimizing Your WooCommerce Out-of-Stock Product Display

Effectively managing out-of-stock products in WooCommerce is essential for maximizing sales and providing a positive customer experience. By utilizing the methods outlined above—from modifying WooCommerce’s default settings to implementing “Notify Me” features and creating dedicated categories—you can significantly improve your online store’s performance and customer satisfaction. Remember Discover insights on How To Add Add To Cart Button Woocommerce to choose the methods that best suit your store’s needs and technical capabilities. Don’t let out-of-stock items be lost opportunities; turn them into engagement opportunities!