How to Show Unlimited Stock in WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide
WooCommerce, the leading e-commerce platform built on WordPress, provides robust inventory management tools. However, sometimes you might not want to track your stock precisely. Perhaps you offer digital products, services, or products where you can always replenish supply. In these scenarios, displaying an “unlimited stock” message can enhance the customer experience and avoid unnecessary purchase anxiety. This article will guide you through several methods to achieve this, from the simplest settings adjustment to more advanced custom code solutions.
Why Display Unlimited Stock?
There are several compelling reasons to display unlimited stock in WooCommerce:
- Boost Sales: Customers are less likely to hesitate if they believe a product is always available. The perception of scarcity, while effective in some cases, can backfire if it induces anxiety.
- Simplify Management: Managing stock levels can be time-consuming, especially for digital products or readily replenishable items. Showing unlimited stock simplifies this process.
- Improve Customer Experience: Reduces cart abandonment by removing concerns about limited stock. Customers are more likely to complete their purchase without fear of missing out.
- Ideal for Specific Product Types: Perfect for digital downloads, services, print-on-demand products, and subscriptions where stock is essentially unlimited.
- Edit the product: Navigate to Products > All Products and click “Edit” on the product you want to modify.
- Go to the “Inventory” tab: Scroll down to the “Product data” meta box and click on the “Inventory” tab.
- Uncheck “Manage stock?”: Uncheck the box labeled “Manage stock?”. This effectively disables stock management for that product.
- Update the product: Click the “Update” button to save your changes.
- Edit the product: Navigate to Products > All Products and click “Edit” on the product you want to modify.
- Go to the “Inventory” tab: Scroll down to the “Product data” meta box and click on the “Inventory” tab.
- Check “Manage stock?”: Ensure the box labeled “Manage stock?” is checked.
- Enter a Large Number in “Stock quantity”: Enter a high number, such as 9999, in the “Stock quantity” field.
- Update the product: Click the “Update” button to save your changes.
Methods to Show Unlimited Stock in WooCommerce
Here’s a breakdown of different approaches you can use to show unlimited stock in your WooCommerce store.
1. Disabling Stock Management at the Product Level
This is the simplest method and works best for individual products that don’t require stock tracking.
By unchecking “Manage stock?”, WooCommerce will always display the product as being in stock, regardless of any previous stock quantity settings.
2. Setting a High Stock Quantity
While not technically “unlimited,” setting a very high stock quantity (e.g., 9999) can effectively achieve the same result for most stores.
This method is straightforward but might require adjustments if your store handles incredibly high order volumes. It also doesn’t technically *display* “unlimited stock.”
3. Using WooCommerce Snippets (Custom Code)
For more control and a cleaner “unlimited stock” display, you can use code snippets. Always back up your website before implementing custom code.
#### a) Hiding the Stock Quantity Display
This snippet completely removes the stock quantity display from product pages. Add this to your theme’s `functions.php` file or use a code snippets plugin.
/**
function hide_stock_message( $availability, $_product ) {
return $availability;
}
add_filter( ‘woocommerce_stock_html’, ‘hide_stock_message_html’, 10, 2);
function hide_stock_message_html( $html, $_product ) {
return ”;
}
This code first filters the `woocommerce_get_availability` to leave stock checks untouched, which keeps product purchasable. Then, it filters `woocommerce_stock_html` to return an empty string, preventing any stock message from showing on product pages.
#### b) Displaying a Custom “Unlimited Stock” Message
This snippet replaces the default stock message with a custom “Unlimited Stock” message. Add this to your theme’s `functions.php` file or use a code snippets plugin.
/**
function unlimited_stock_message( $availability, $_product ) {
if ( ! $_product->managing_stock() ) { // Check if stock management is disabled.
$availability[‘availability’] = __(‘Unlimited Stock’, ‘woocommerce’);
}
return $availability;
}
This code checks if stock management is disabled for the product. If it is, it replaces the default availability message with “Unlimited Stock.” The `__(‘Unlimited Stock’, ‘woocommerce’)` function makes the message translatable.
#### c) Displaying a conditional “Unlimited Stock” Message (Only when stock management is active)
This snippet lets you display a custom “Unlimited Stock” message even when you manage stock levels. This could be useful for shops where supply can always be replenished (e.g. print-on-demand businesses)
/**
function unlimited_stock_message_with_stock_management( $availability, $_product ) {
$availability[‘availability’] = __(‘Unlimited Stock’, ‘woocommerce’); // Always show “Unlimited Stock”
return $availability;
}
4. Using WooCommerce Plugins
Several WooCommerce plugins simplify stock management and offer options to display custom stock messages. Search the WordPress plugin repository for terms like “WooCommerce stock manager,” “WooCommerce inventory,” or “WooCommerce custom messages.” These plugins often provide a user-friendly interface for managing stock visibility without requiring code. Be sure to choose plugins from reputable developers with good reviews and active support.
Conclusion
Displaying “unlimited stock” in WooCommerce can be a strategic decision to boost sales, simplify management, and improve the customer experience, especially for products with readily available or effectively limitless supply. Choose the method that best suits your needs, considering factors like the number of products you need to modify, your comfort level with code, and whether you require more advanced inventory management features. Remember to back up your website before implementing any code changes. By carefully selecting the right approach, you can optimize your WooCommerce store for success.
