WooCommerce: How to Hide Your Inventory Like a Pro (Even if You’re a Beginner)
So, you’re running a WooCommerce store, and you’ve decided you want to hide your inventory levels from your customers. Maybe you don’t want competitors knowing how popular (or unpopular) certain products are. Maybe you’re creating an air of exclusivity. Or perhaps you just prefer a cleaner, less cluttered product page. Whatever your reason, you’ve come to the right place!
This guide will walk you through exactly how to hide inventory in WooCommerce, with clear explanations and real-world examples. No code experience necessary!
Why Hide Inventory in WooCommerce?
Before Explore this article on How To Add Price Picker In WordPress Woocommerce we dive into the “how,” let’s quickly touch on the “why.” Here are a few common scenarios where hiding inventory makes sense:
- Competitive Advantage: Knowing a competitor’s stock levels can give rivals an unfair advantage. Hiding your inventory makes it harder for them to strategize against you. Imagine you sell handmade candles. If competitors know you only have 2 of a specific scent left, they might aggressively market a similar product.
- Creating Scarcity (Even When It’s Not Really There): Sometimes, subtly implying limited availability can boost sales. Even if you have plenty of stock, hiding the exact number can create a sense of urgency. Think of limited-edition items – the lack of a concrete number adds to the mystique.
- Simplifying the Customer Experience: For some product types, displaying inventory levels just isn’t necessary or helpful. Think of digital downloads or services. Knowing the “stock” is 999+ isn’t really useful to the customer.
- Preventing Bulk Buying Speculation: If you’re expecting a price increase on a specific product, opportunistic buyers might try to snatch up your entire inventory to resell at a higher price. Hiding stock levels can deter this behavior. Think of collectibles or limited-edition prints.
- “Always show stock, e.g. ’12 in stock'”: This is the default setting and displays the exact number of items in stock.
- “Only show stock when low, e.g. ‘Only 2 left in stock'”: This option only shows the stock level when it falls below the “Low stock threshold” you define earlier in the inventory settings. This is a good compromise if you only want to emphasize low stock items.
- “Never show stock”: This is the option you want! Selecting this hides the stock levels completely from your product pages and category pages.
- Theme Customizer: Go to Appearance > Customize Read more about Woocommerce How To Hook Into Meta-Boxes-Order.Js > Additional CSS in your WordPress dashboard.
- Child Theme Stylesheet: If you’re using a child theme (highly recommended), you can add the CSS to your child theme’s `style.css` file.
Method 1: Using the WooCommerce Settings (The Easiest Way)
WooCommerce provides a built-in setting to control how inventory is displayed. This is the simplest and recommended method for most users.
1. Navigate to WooCommerce Settings: Go to your WordPress dashboard, then click on WooCommerce > Settings.
2. Go to the “Products” Tab: In the WooCommerce settings, select the “Products” tab, and then click on “Inventory”.
3. Inventory Options: You’ll see a few options related to inventory management. The key option we’re interested in is “Stock display format”.
4. Choose Your Display Option: Click the dropdown menu next to “Stock display format.” You have three choices:
5. Save Changes: Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save changes”.
That’s it! You’ve successfully hidden your inventory levels using the built-in WooCommerce settings. Now, go check your product pages to confirm the stock levels are hidden.
Method 2: Using Custom CSS (For Visual Tweaks)
This method requires a little bit of CSS knowledge, but it offers a more targeted approach. You can use CSS to hide the inventory information only on specific product pages or for specific product variations.
1. Identify the CSS Class: First, you need to find the CSS class that controls the display of inventory levels. This might vary slightly depending on your theme, but often it’s something like `.stock`, `.inventory`, or `.woocommerce-product-details__short-description`. Use your browser’s developer tools (right-click on the element and select “Inspect”) to identify the correct class.
2. Add Custom CSS: You can add custom CSS in a few ways:
3. Write the CSS: Use the `display: none;` property to hide the element. For example:
.stock {
display: none !important; /* !important ensures it overrides other styles */
}
4. Save and Check: Save your changes and check your product pages to see if Check out this post: How To Set Up Shop With Woocommerce WordPress the inventory information is hidden.
Example: Let’s say your theme displays inventory as part of the product short description within a `` tag with the class `.inventory-level`. Your CSS would look like this:
.woocommerce-product-details__short-description .inventory-level {
display: none !important;
}
Reasoning: Using CSS gives you more granular control. You can, for instance, apply this CSS only to certain product categories by adding specific selectors.
Method 3: Using Code Snippets (For Advanced Control)
This method involves adding PHP code snippets to your theme’s `functions.php` file or using a plugin like Code Snippets. Use this method with caution, as incorrect code can break your site. Always back up your site before making changes to `functions.php`.
1. Install a Code Snippets Plugin (Recommended): Plugins like “Code Snippets” allow you to add PHP code without directly editing your theme’s files. This is a safer and more organized approach.
2. Add the Following Code Snippet:
<?php /**
// Hide remaining stock for backorders
function hide_backorder_stock( $html, $product ) {
if ( $product->managing_stock() && $product->backorders_allowed() && ! $product->is_in_stock() ) {
return ”;
}
return $html;
}
add_filter( ‘woocommerce_get_stock_html’, ‘hide_backorder_stock’, 10, 2 );
?>
3. Activate the Snippet: If using a Code Snippets plugin, activate the snippet.
Explanation:
- `remove_action( ‘woocommerce_single_product_summary’, ‘woocommerce_template_single_excerpt’, 20 );` This line removes the short description from the single product page which is where the stock information is displayed by some themes.
- `add_filter( ‘woocommerce_get_stock_html’, ‘__return_empty_string’, 10 );` This filter removes the stock level HTML from other parts of the shop, like product archives, and also handles variations.
- `hide_backorder_stock` removes stock when backorders are allowed and the product is not in stock.
Reasoning: Code snippets offer the most flexibility. You can tailor the code to specific product categories, user roles, or other custom conditions. However, it’s also the most complex approach, so be sure to test thoroughly and have a backup in place.
Troubleshooting
- Cache: After making changes, be sure to clear your website cache and your browser cache. Cached versions of your pages might still show the old inventory levels.
- Theme Conflicts: Some themes have their own built-in options for controlling inventory display. Check your theme’s settings before using any of the methods above. Contact your theme developer if needed.
- Plugin Conflicts: Conflicting plugins can also interfere with inventory display. Try temporarily disabling other plugins to see if one is causing the issue.
Conclusion
Hiding inventory levels in WooCommerce is a simple yet effective way to optimize your store for competitive advantage, create a sense of scarcity, or simply streamline the customer experience. Choose the method that best suits your needs and technical skills, and remember to always back up your Discover insights on How Do You Add Notes To An Order In Woocommerce site before making any code changes. Happy selling!
