When selling online, customer experience is paramount. Think of viewing products and clicking on one you adore, only to be met with the message that it is no longer in stock. This is frustrating for consumers and raises bounce rates. With the ability to WooCommerce hide out of stock products, you can avoid this and build a smoother, more professional shopping experience.
In this article, we will discuss why it is important to hide out-of-stock products, how to do it with native store settings, and when you should use a hide out of stock products WooCommerce plugin for more flexibility.
Why You Should Hide Out of Stock WooCommerce Products?
These are the top reasons to make use of WooCommerce hide out of stock products functionality:
Improved User Experience
Customers don’t waste their time on out-of-stock items. This avoids frustration and builds trust.
Greater Conversion Rates
Making available products alone keeps customers engaged with products they can purchase today.
Sweeper Product Catalog
Your store appears more professional when it doesn’t include sold-out items.
Lower Bounce Rate
Traffic is more likely to stay and shop when all products presented are available.
Better SEO Signals
Search engines like current and active product offerings. By concealing the unavailable ones, your store is always up to date.
How to Conceal Out of Stock Products WooCommerce (Default Method)
WooCommerce does have a default setting that enables you to conceal out of stock WooCommerce products without plugins.
Here’s how it works:
Access your WordPress Dashboard.
Move to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Inventory.
Locate the Hide out of stock items from the catalog option.
Check the checkbox.
Click Save Changes.
And that’s it! Your store will now automatically hide out-of-stock products.
Utilizing a HideMAIL Out of Stock Products WooCommerce Plugin
Though the default solution serves most stores, some shop owners prefer more flexibility. That’s where a hide out of stock products WooCommerce plugin would be useful.
A plugin provides you with:
Hiding products conditionally (on a category, tag, or stock status basis).
Automatically restoring items as soon as they are in stock again.
Control visibility by user role (e.g., display out-of-stock products to admins but not customers).
Bulk manage for large inventories.
Popular plugins are:
WooCommerce Smart Manager
WooCommerce Product Visibility Manager
Custom Stock Status Plugins
They extend the default functionality and assist in automating inventory visibility management.
When to Display Out of Stock Products Instead?
Hiding out-of-stock products is generally the best option, but there are situations where keeping them displayed works better:
High-Demand Products – Having an “out of stock” tag creates anticipation.
SEO Value – If the page is well-positioned on Google, by hiding it, you risk losing traffic.
Waitlists & Backorders – Users may wish to be notified when it is back in stock.
In this scenario, rather than hiding the product entirely, you can employ a back in stock notification plugin or indicate a clear “Out of Stock” badge.
Best Practices for Dealing with Out of Stock WooCommerce Products
Allow Back in Stock Notifications
Make customers sign up for restock notifications.
Utilize Clear Stock Status Labels
When displaying out-of-stock products, either label them as “Coming Soon” or “Restocking Soon.”
Merge Plugins with Default Settings
Employ WooCommerce’s in-built hide out of stock products feature for standard products and a plugin to have greater control.
Streamline Inventory Management
Have stock updates synced in case you use third-party warehouses.
Test User Experience
Visit your store regularly as a customer to make sure that everything appears refined.
WooCommerce Hide Out of Stock Products – SEO Viewpoint
Not only is hiding out of stock products beneficial to the user experience, but it also has positives for SEO. Search engines appreciate new and useful product pages. When you make use of a hide out of stock WooCommerce plugin or native feature, you guarantee that only active, buyable products are indexed and promoted.
Also, rather than removing products, hiding them conserves SEO value without forfeiting backlinks and history.
Conclusion
If you desire better user experience, less frustration, and more sales, the WooCommerce hide out of stock products feature is an absolute necessity. Either you count on WooCommerce’s native setting or employ a WooCommerce hide out of stock products plugin, maintaining a clean catalog ensures that only available products are presented to customers.
By striking a balance between visibility, inventory levels, and customer expectations, you can build a professional, effective, and conversion-driven online store.
