How to Hide Stock in WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide

WooCommerce is a powerful e-commerce platform that provides online retailers with a robust solution to manage their stores. However, there are instances where you may want to hide stock information from customers, whether to create urgency, manage expectations, or keep certain stock details private. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the steps of hiding stock information in WooCommerce effectively.

Why Hide Stock in WooCommerce?

Before diving into the how-tos, it’s essential to understand the reasons behind hiding stock information:

• Create Urgency: By not displaying stock levels, you can create a sense of scarcity, encouraging customers to make quicker purchasing decisions.
• Manage Customer Expectations: If your stock levels fluctuate frequently, hiding stock can prevent customers from making purchase decisions based on temporary availability.
• Prevent Competitor Insights: Hiding stock levels can keep competitors from gaining insights into your business operations and inventory levels.

Steps to Hide Stock in WooCommerce

1. Utilizing WooCommerce Settings

WooCommerce provides built-in settings to control how stock information is displayed on your product pages. Here’s how to access these settings:

• Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings in your WordPress dashboard.
• Click on the Products tab and then select Inventory.

In this section, you can configure the following settings:

• Hide Out of Stock Items from the Catalog: Check this option to ensure products that are out of stock are not displayed in your shop.
• Stock Display Format: Choose the option to hide stock levels from product pages. You can select:
• “Always show stock” to display stock information.
• “Only show stock when low” to show stock levels only when they are low.
• “Never show stock amount” to completely hide stock numbers.

2. Hiding Stock through Code Snippets

For more control over hiding stock, you can use custom code snippets. This method requires editing your theme’s `functions.php` file.

 add_filter('woocommerce_get_stock_html', '__return_false'); 

This code snippet hides the stock availability from all product pages in your WooCommerce store. To apply this:

• Go to Appearance > Theme Editor.
• Select the functions.php file.
• Add the code snippet above and save changes.

3. Using WooCommerce Hooks

WooCommerce hooks provide an efficient way to modify or remove stock information display without altering the core plugin files. Here’s how you can do it:

#### Hiding Stock Check out this post: How To Add Woocommerce Mini Cart In Header Availability Text

To remove the stock availability text, use the following hook:

 remove_action('woocommerce_single_product_summary', 'woocommerce_template_single_meta', 40); 

• This action hook removes the stock meta from the product summary, effectively hiding it from view.

#### Hiding Stock for Specific Products

If you wish to hide stock information for specific products, use conditional logic:

 add_filter('woocommerce_get_stock_html', 'custom_hide_stock_html', 10, 2); 

function custom_hide_stock_html($html, $product) {

if ($product->is_type(‘simple’)) {

return ”;

}

return $html;

}

• This snippet hides stock for all simple products. Adjust the condition to target specific products as needed.

4. Using WooCommerce Plugins

Several plugins are available that offer advanced options for managing stock visibility in WooCommerce. Some popular plugins include:

• WooCommerce Product Visibility: This plugin provides comprehensive control over product visibility, including stock information.
• WooCommerce Customizer: Offers easy customization options for various WooCommerce settings, including stock display.

To use a plugin:

• Install and activate the plugin from the WordPress Read more about How To Change Add To Cart Button Text In Woocommerce repository.
• Follow the plugin documentation to configure stock visibility settings according to your preferences.

5. Hiding Stock with CSS

For those familiar with CSS, you can hide stock information using custom styles. Add the following CSS code to your theme’s stylesheet:

 .product .stock { display: none; } 

• This code targets the stock class within product pages, effectively hiding it from view.

Best Practices for Hiding Stock in WooCommerce

• Test Changes Thoroughly: After making any changes, ensure you test them across different products and scenarios to avoid negative impacts on user experience.
• Communicate with Customers: If stock levels are hidden, clearly communicate shipping times or backorder policies to manage customer expectations.
• Monitor Inventory: Regularly update your inventory to ensure that product availability aligns with your store’s stock status.

Conclusion

Hiding stock information in WooCommerce can be a strategic decision that benefits both your business and customers. Whether you’re aiming to create urgency or protect competitive insights, WooCommerce provides several ways to achieve this. From built-in settings and custom code snippets to plugins and CSS, you have multiple options to tailor stock visibility to your store’s needs.

By following the comprehensive steps outlined in this guide, you can effectively manage and hide stock information, enhancing your store’s appeal and functionality. Remember to always backup your site before making changes, and consider consulting with a developer if you’re unsure about implementing code modifications.