How to Handle Out-of-Stock Products on Shopify: Hide or Show?

In the fast-moving world of eCommerce, how you handle out-of-stock products can significantly affect both sales and customer experience.

Should you hide sold-out items to keep your collections tidy — or keep them visible to preserve SEO and customer interest? Let’s explore the right balance and how Ouiteo’s apps can help you automate it intelligently.

1. ⚠️ Why Out-of-Stock Products Matter

Handling sold-out inventory isn’t just a warehouse task — it’s a strategic merchandising decision.

Visible sold-out items can:

• Frustrate shoppers and lower conversion rates
• Create wasted clicks and higher bounce rates

But hiding them completely can:

• Hurt your SEO (since product URLs disappear from Google’s index)
• Prevent customers from discovering items that will soon restock

The key is dynamic visibility and intelligent sorting — and that’s where automation comes in.

2. 🧩 Factors to Consider

2.1. Type of Products You Sell

If your products frequently sell out or rotate quickly, automatically hiding them can help keep collections clean. For timeless or made-to-order items, keeping them visible with “Restocking Soon” messaging may work better.

2.2. Audience Behaviour

If your customers value fast delivery or availability, showing only in-stock products avoids frustration. If they’re more browsing-oriented, showing all items can sustain engagement.

2.3. SEO & Marketing Strategy

During promotions or pre-order campaigns, keeping sold-out items visible (but deprioritised) can help sustain search rankings while signalling demand.

3. 🤖 Ouiteo Solutions: Hide or Push — Automatically

Ouiteo provides two complementary Shopify apps that together solve the out-of-stock challenge from every angle:

3.1. Ouiteo | Hide Sold Out

Automate visibility for unavailable items.

Key Benefits:

• Auto Hide & Unhide: Sold-out products disappear automatically, then reappear when restocked.
• Customisable Conditions: Choose to hide by product type, tag, or inventory threshold.
• Improved UX: Shoppers see only what’s available — reducing friction and cart abandonment.
• SEO-Friendly: Keeps URLs consistent; no manual unpublishing needed.

3.2. Ouiteo | Collection Sort & Manage

Perfect for merchants who prefer to keep sold-out products visible but not prominent.

Key Benefits:

• Push Down Out-of-Stock Products: Automatically move unavailable items to the bottom of collections.
• Push Up Restocked Items: Newly restocked products instantly move to the top — no manual sorting.
• Data-Driven Sorting: Combine inventory, performance, or sales data to optimise rankings.
• Keep SEO Benefits: Your products stay visible to search engines while maintaining a clean storefront.

4. 🛍️ Finding the Right Balance

Some merchants choose to hide unavailable products entirely, while others prefer to push them down instead.

Both strategies are valid — and both can be automated with Ouiteo’s tools. The best approach depends on your:

• Store’s inventory turnover
• SEO goals
• Customer expectations

You can even use both apps together:

• Hide Sold Out → for collections where availability matters (e.g. “Ready to Ship”)
• Collection Sort & Manage → for collections where you want to show full range but prioritise stock-ready items

5. 💬 Need Help?

Have questions or special use cases? Reach us anytime via live chat on our website or email us at help@ouiteo.com — our team is happy to help you optimise your store’s inventory management.