Is your Shopify store feeling a bit cluttered with products you don’t want to display publicly? Do you know that streamlining your product catalog and controlling the visibility can enhance your customer’s shopping experience and boost your sales? 

In this article, we will guide you on how to easily hide individual products or even your entire catalog on Shopify, giving you the flexibility to curate the perfect storefront for your target audience. Ready to learn more? Let’s dive in!

How to Hide One or All Products in Shopify

Step 1: Access the Products Section

• Log into your Shopify admin.
• On the left-hand menu, click on Products.

Step 2: Hide a Single Product

• Click the product’s name to open its details page.

• In the Sales channels section, click the Action (…) button > Choose Manage sales channels.

• Uncheck all the boxes to hide the product from all channels > Click Done > Click Save to finish.

Step 3: Hide Multiple/ All Products

• On the All Products page, select the products you want to hide using the checkboxes.

• Click the Actions dropdown menu and choose Exclude from sales channels.

• In the popup, you need to choose the sales channels where you wish to hide your products. Then, click the Exclude products button to finish.

By strategically hiding products, you can curate a focused shopping experience for your customers and ensure your storefront only displays relevant and available items.

Reminders: 

• Hidden vs. Deleted: Hiding a product makes it unavailable on your storefront, but it is kept in your admin for later use. Deleting removes it permanently.
• Bulk Actions: For more complex hiding rules (e.g., based on tags or inventory levels), use the bulk editor or third-party apps.
• Collections: Hidden products are also automatically removed from any automated collections they were part of.

• Password Protection: If you want to hide your entire store, you can use Shopify’s password protection feature under Online Store > Preferences.
• App Considerations: Some third-party apps might still interact with hidden products, so check their documentation if you’re unsure.

How to check if a product is hidden on your Shopify store

There are certain ways to help you check if your product is hidden or not. Continue reading to explore the options below:

On The Product Listing Page

You can check the Sale channels status to see if your product is currently hidden from those channels or not. If the status is marked as 0, it means that the product is being hidden from all sales channels on Shopify.

On the Product Details Page

You can check individual products by clicking on them, then view the Sales channels section to see if your product is included or not included in any sales channels.

When should you hide products on Shopify?

There are several scenarios where I’ve found it beneficial to hide products on my Shopify store, and I’ve seen fellow merchants use this tactic effectively as well. Let’s explore each case below:

• Out-of-Stock Situations:

Nothing frustrates a customer more than finding the perfect product only to discover it’s unavailable. Hiding out-of-stock items prevents this negative experience and keeps your store looking well-stocked. Studies show that 70% of consumers switch brands when faced with out-of-stock items, highlighting the importance of managing product visibility.

• Upcoming Product Launches or Pre-Orders

Building anticipation for a new product launch can be a great marketing strategy. Hiding the product until its official release date creates excitement and encourages customers to check back later.

• Seasonal or Limited-Time Offers

Creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity around seasonal items or limited-time promotions can drive sales. Hiding these products once they’re no longer available helps maintain a focused and relevant product catalog.

• Testing and Experimentation

When I want to test a new product or pricing strategy, I often hide it from the main storefront and make it accessible only through a direct link or to a specific customer group. This allows me to gather valuable feedback without impacting the overall browsing experience.

• Wholesale or B2B Pricing

If you offer special pricing for wholesale customers, you might want to hide those products from regular retail customers. This prevents confusion and ensures that your wholesale pricing remains confidential.

• Internal Use Only Products

Sometimes, you might have products that are intended for internal use only or are not yet ready for sale. Hiding these products prevents them from appearing on your storefront, ensuring a clean and professional catalog.

By strategically hiding products, you can maintain a curated and relevant product selection, enhance the customer experience, and achieve your business goals on Shopify.

FAQs

1. Can I hide products from specific sales channels, like my online store, but not my POS?

Yes, you can control product visibility per sales channel. This lets you offer certain products in-person only or keep some exclusive to online shoppers.

2. I’ve hidden a product, but it’s still showing up in search results on my site. What’s going on?

Shopify’s search index may take a little time to update. You can try manually re-indexing your store in Settings > Search engine listing preview to speed this up.

3. I’m using a theme with a “Shop All” page. Can I hide specific products from there, too?

This is trickier, as it usually requires code edits to your theme. You’d need to add Liquid logic to exclude certain products based on tags or other criteria.

4. Are there any risks or drawbacks to hiding products instead of deleting them?

Hidden products still take up space in your product limit. Also, if you’re using certain apps, they might still interact with hidden products, so be aware of potential conflicts.

5. I want to hide products based on more complex rules, like customer tags or purchase history. Is this possible?

Shopify’s built-in options are limited. However, there are apps on the Shopify App Store that offer advanced product visibility control based on various criteria, making it easier to tailor your storefront to specific customer segments.

Final words

We have introduced you to the detailed steps to effectively hide one or all products on Shopify, providing you the flexibility to control product visibility and curate their online storefront. We recommend employing a combination of these techniques, tailored to your specific needs, to achieve optimal inventory management and a seamless customer experience.

Related Posts:

• How to Remove a Product in 4 Simple Steps
• How to hide product prices temporarily in Shopify
• How to Hide Out of Stock Products from your Collections
• How to Hide Out of Stock Products in Default Catalog Collection