Hide Out of Stock Push Down keeps shoppers away from products they cannot buy. This walkthrough takes you from installing the app to your first working rule: sold-out products hidden automatically, and brought back when stock returns.
1. Start your store data sync
Open Integrations → Shopify and check the Sync status panel. Select Start Sync if your store has not started syncing. The first run takes a while on a large catalogue; after that, data syncs hourly.
You do not have to wait for it to finish before setting up a rule. A rule targeting All products does not need synced data, unless it counts stock at selected locations or your store counts on-hand stock. Background filters, uploaded product lists and stock analytics do need it.
2. Decide whether to hide or push down
Two features, two different outcomes:
- Hide sold out changes a product's status or removes it from sales channels, so it disappears from your storefront. Use it when a sold-out product should not be found at all.
- Push down leaves products visible but moves them to the bottom of a collection. Use it when shoppers should still be able to find them.
This walkthrough sets up a hide rule. For the other one, see Set up Push down for a collection — it is a per-collection switch and takes about a minute.
3. Create a rule
Open Stock operations → Hide sold out and select Create rule. Enter a Name, then choose a Schedule:
- Instant acts as stock changes. It counts stock across all locations and has no hide delay.
- Repeat checks on the frequency you set. Start here if you are not sure.
- Manual runs only when you start it from the rules list.
4. Set the hide and unhide conditions
Turn on both Hide settings and Unhide settings. For a straightforward sold-out rule:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Stock mode | Total inventory |
| Hide when stock is | At or below 0 |
| Hide action | Set status to Draft |
| Unhide when stock is | At or above 1 |
| Unhide action | Set status to Active |
Each setting has its own location options when you use Total inventory, so you can count only the locations that matter. Match the two actions to each other. If Hide also removes the product from Online Store, select Online Store under Put it back on so Unhide restores that too. When Hide removes a product from Online Store you can also set a Redirect for its old page.
One thing to know before you run it: a product is only hidden when every variant tracks inventory and has Continue selling when out of stock switched off in Shopify. If any variant allows continued selling, the product stays visible — and that is by far the most common reason a rule looks like it did nothing. The restriction does not apply to unhiding.
The other stock modes, delays and location options are in Set hide and unhide conditions.
5. Target the products, then create the rule
Under Targeting, choose All products for the whole catalogue, or narrow it with Smart and a saved filter, Manual, or Upload product list. An Instant rule offers All products or an Event filter instead.
Select Preview where it is offered to see which products the rule would act on right now. Turn on Email notification if you want a message each time it runs. Check the Summary, then select Create rule.
Watch the first run in View logs on the rule's row. The stock activity log lets you undo status, sales channel and redirect changes if a run did something you did not intend.
What to do next
- Also push sold-out products down in collections where they should stay visible.
- Send your team low-stock, out-of-stock and back-in-stock alerts.
- Run a rule instantly when stock changes, rather than on a schedule.
- Restore restocked products to the positions they held before.
If you get stuck, use the chat button in the corner or email help@ouiteo.com.