How to Make Products View-Only on Shopify

Shopify is a leading e-commerce platform, and as a store owner, you might need to make certain products view-only—visible to customers but not available for purchase. This can be useful for showcasing unavailable items, display products, or testing new ones. In this article, we’ll guide you through the steps to make products view-only on Shopify.

Why Make Products View-Only?

Before diving into the steps, let’s first understand why you would want to make a product view-only. Some common reasons include:

1. Out-of-Stock Products: You may want to display items that are out of stock to keep the product visible for customers who may want to be notified when it’s back in stock.
2. Limited Editions: For exclusive products that you want to show off but limit access to, making them view-only can generate buzz without immediate availability.
3. Coming Soon: Products that are not yet available for purchase but you still want to give your customers a sneak peek.
4. Private Products: You may also want to show products only to specific customers or groups without allowing anyone to purchase them.

How to Make Products View-Only on Shopify

Step 1: Hide the Add to Cart Button

The easiest way to make a product view-only on Shopify is to hide the “Add to Cart” button from the product page. This can be achieved by modifying your store’s theme.

Steps to Hide Add to Cart Button:

1. Go to your Shopify Admin panel.
2. Select Online Store from the left-hand sidebar, then click Themes.
3. Click on Actions and select Edit Code.
4. Find and open the file that handles the product template (usually called product-template.liquid or something similar under the Sections folder).
5. Look for the code block responsible for the Add to Cart button. This is often wrapped in a form tag like <form action="/cart/add" method="post">.
6. Use CSS to hide the button by adding the following code:

.product-form button {
display: none;
}

7.Save the changes.

This method will make the “Add to Cart” button invisible, so customers will be able to view the product but won’t be able to add it to their cart.

Step 2: Adjust Inventory Settings

For products that are temporarily out of stock but you still want customers to view them, adjusting your inventory settings can help. Setting the inventory quantity to zero and ensuring the “Continue selling when out of stock” option is unchecked will prevent customers from adding the product to the cart.

Steps to Adjust Inventory Settings:

1. Go to your Shopify Admin panel.
2. Click on Products, and select the product you want to make view-only.
3. Scroll down to the Inventory section.
4. Set the inventory quantity to 0.
5. Make sure the Continue selling when out of stock checkbox is unchecked.
6. Save the changes.

By setting the inventory to zero, customers will still be able to see the product, but they won’t be able to purchase it because the “Add to Cart” button will either be hidden or inactive.

Step 3: Use an App to Control Product Visibility

If you want more control over your product visibility, using an app from the Shopify App Store is a great option. Apps like “Locksmith” or “EasyLockdown” allow you to lock specific products or collections, making them view-only for customers.

Steps to Use an App:

1. Go to the Shopify App Store.
2. Search for apps like “Locksmith” or “EasyLockdown.”
3. Install the app of your choice.
4. Follow the app’s instructions to lock the product or collection you want to make view-only.

These apps offer additional features, such as restricting access to certain customer groups, hiding products based on tags, and more, which can be useful for advanced use cases.

Step 4: Create Custom Product Visibility Rules

For stores with multiple product categories or custom customer groups, setting up visibility rules based on customer tags can be an effective solution. For instance, you can make a product visible only to logged-in users or specific customer groups.

Steps to Create Custom Visibility Rules:

1. In your Shopify Admin, go to Customers and create a new tag or use an existing one.

2.Assign this tag to the customers who should be able to view the product.

3.Go to Online Store, then Themes and click Customize.

4.Navigate to the product page and use Liquid code to check for customer tags before displaying the product. For example:

{% if customer.tags contains ‘view-only’ %}

{% else %}

{% endif %}

This method allows you to fine-tune who can view products based on their customer profile.

Conclusion

Making products view-only on Shopify is a useful way to control visibility while still showcasing your items. Whether you’re handling out-of-stock products, creating exclusive collections, or preparing for a product launch, this strategy ensures your customers can preview products without being able to make purchases. By following the steps outlined in this post, you can easily implement a view-only feature on your Shopify store.

Remember, at AIRSANG DESIGN, we specialize in e-commerce solutions and Shopify store optimization. If you need help customizing your Shopify store to meet your business needs, feel free to reach out to us for expert assistance.