Product browsing is paramount for better product purchasing, and this is possible when you enable the catalog mode. 

All credit goes to WooCommerce, which lets you enable browse-only options for the web users by converting WooCommerce into catalog mode. We will discuss why to convert into catalog mode late in this blog, but let's focus more on how to do it.

The best methods to convert WooCommerce to catalog mode without a plugin are through code, and these are the ways:

• Removing the Add to Cart Button
• Hide Product Prices
• Add a Contact Us Button
• Restrict Guest Users

In this succinct blog, we will elaborate on each of the methods with the code snippet you need to include. 

So, let’s give this blog a read!

4 Methods To Convert WooCommerce To Catalog Mode Without Plugin

To convert a WooCommerce store into catalog mode, here are the top 4 methods you need to practice. 

Choose your preferred method out of these four after you have thoroughly analyzed them.

1. Remove the “Add to Cart” Button

Both the shop and product pages have an Add to Cart button, which you can hide or remove to convert your WooCommerce store to catalog mode. 

The user will not be able to add any item to their cart and will only get to see the products. To hide the “Add to Cart” button, add this code snippet to your child theme’s function.php file.

add_action('init', 'custom_remove_add_to_cart_buttons');

function custom_remove_add_to_cart_buttons()

 {

    remove_action('woocommerce_after_shop_loop_item', 'woocommerce_template_loop_add_to_cart', 10);

    remove_action('woocommerce_single_product_summary', 'woocommerce_template_single_add_to_cart', 30);

}

2. Hide Product Prices

If you want the user to view the products without offering them any way to make a purchase, then there is no point in displaying the product prices as well. 

To enable the catalog mode, you can hide the product prices with this piece of code.

add_filter('woocommerce_get_price_html', 'custom_hide_product_price', 10, 2);

function custom_hide_product_price($price, $product) 

{

    return '';

}

3. Add a Custom “Contact Us” or “Request a Quote” Button

There is a reason why converting WooCommerce to the catalog mode is important. This conversion does not mean that the online business does not want any transaction, but there is always a delayed transaction. 

For that purpose, you can add a Contact Us or Request a Quote button instead of the Add to Cart button. 

Add this piece of code to add a custom Contact Us button:

add_action('woocommerce_single_product_summary', 'custom_contact_button', 31);

function custom_contact_button() 

{

    echo '<a href="' . esc_url(home_url('/contact')) . '" class="button alt">Contact Us for Pricing</a>';

}

Note: Make sure you are linking the right contact us page URL mentioned in the code. 

Once this button is added, you can go to your CSS file and adjust the styling to ensure the newly added button matches your website design and theme.

4. Restrict Purchases to Logged-In Users

This is not a very popular method, but you can still opt for this method to convert the WooCommerce to catalog mode for a few users. You can hide the Add to Cart buttons for guest users or for those who have not yet logged in.

 You can not only encourage the store visitors to sign up but also have controlled sales based on user roles.

This is the code you need to include in the function.php file:

add_action('init', 'custom_hide_cart_for_guests');

function custom_hide_cart_for_guests() 

{

    if ( ! is_user_logged_in() ) 

{

        remove_action('woocommerce_after_shop_loop_item', 'woocommerce_template_loop_add_to_cart');

        remove_action('woocommerce_single_product_summary', 'woocommerce_template_single_add_to_cart', 30);

    }

}

 

Benefits of Using Catalog Mode in WooCommerce Stores

There are some benefits to converting a WooCommerce store to a catalog mode and not selling the items directly. 

These are some of the benefits:

• Promoting Offline Stores: Promoting your products before selling them is the best strategy to have great sales. Businesses usually opt for this sales model, and they convert the WooCommerce store to catalog mode. This way, you can promote the products before selling them initially.
• Getting Leads: If you have an offline store and want to generate more leads through an online catalog, then this is the best strategy. By letting the interested buyers explore the products through your WooCommerce store and then come to your offline store with the intent to purchase, you can successfully generate more leads.
• Showcasing Upcoming Products: To run a pre-release campaign, you must know how to create hype for your upcoming products. Converting the WooCommerce to catalog mode with no options to buy the product and only inquiry options, you can create the hype that your products deserve.
• Building a Brand: Product showcasing is a way to market your business and products. This branding is crucial to building an empire that is surrounded by loyal customers. Giving your visitors a peek into the products you sell is the first thing to do to let them know about your brand.

Key Takeaway!

Transforming your WooCommerce store into a product catalog can bring ample benefits to your online business. There is not much that you need to do to convert WooCommerce to catalog mode. While there are WooCommerce plugins available to do the job for you, you can still do it without code. 

So, implement the methods mentioned in this blog to convert WooCommerce to catalog mode without a plugin and adapt an agile business model.