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In the bustling world of eCommerce, flexibility is key. For various reasons, businesses might need to temporarily disable or hide their shopping cart on Shopify. Whether it's to revamp their product line, halt transactions during site maintenance, or because their online store is still in the preparation phase, the need to understand how to manage the visibility of the shopping cart feature is crucial. This article dives deep into the process of removing or hiding the cart on Shopify, enabling you to tailor your site's functionality to your current operational strategy.
Introduction
Have you ever found yourself puzzled over the seemingly complex task of hiding or removing the shopping cart from your Shopify store? Perhaps you're in the early stages of building your brand's online presence and aren't ready to unveil your product catalogue just yet. Or maybe you're working on a client's site that demands a clean, uncluttered layout free from eCommerce functionalities, at least for the time being. Whatever the case, this blog post aims to unveil the mystery surrounding this topic, guiding you through the various methods available to achieve a cart-free Shopify store.
This article will not only provide step-by-step instructions on how to remove or hide the shopping cart on Shopify but will also delve into the reasons behind why a business might want to consider taking this step. By the end of this read, you'll be equipped with the knowledge and insights needed to customize your Shopify store's functionality, making it align perfectly with your business strategy and brand aesthetic.
Understanding the Basics
Before tackling the cart's visibility, it's essential to grasp the foundation of Shopify's structure. Shopify themes use a coding language called Liquid, a flexible and open-source template language created by Shopify. It's within these Liquid files, specifically the "header.liquid" file, where we find the keys to controlling the visibility of the shopping cart icon.
Removing or Hiding the Shopping Cart Icon
Editing the Theme Code
The most direct approach to eliminate the shopping cart from view is by diving into your theme's code. This method requires a basic understanding of HTML and CSS, but fear not, as the steps outlined below are straightforward and do not require advanced coding skills.
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Accessing Code Editor: Navigate to your Shopify admin dashboard, then go to Online Store > Themes. Locate the theme you wish to edit, click Actions, and select 'Edit code'.
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Locating the File: In the theme editor's sidebar, under the "Sections" category, find and click on the "header.liquid" file. This file typically contains the code that renders the header part of your Shopify store, including the cart icon.
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Commenting Out the Cart Icon: Once inside the "header.liquid" file, you'll need to locate the specific snippet of code responsible for displaying the cart icon. The easiest way to do this is by using the "Ctrl + F" function (or "Command + F" on Mac) to search for keywords like "cart", "basket", or "shopping". Once found, you can comment out this section of code by enclosing it within
<!--and-->tags. This effectively instructs Shopify to ignore this code snippet, hence hiding the cart icon from your store's front end.
CSS Trickery
Another less invasive method involves using CSS to hide the cart icon visually. This approach is particularly useful for those uncomfortable with modifying HTML structure directly.
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Navigating to the CSS File: Follow the same steps to access your theme's code editor, but this time, look for the "theme.scss.liquid" or "base.css" file under the "Assets" section.
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Adding Custom CSS: At the bottom of the selected CSS file, add the following line of code:
.site-header__cart { display: none !important; }. This CSS rule sets the display property of the cart icon to 'none', effectively hiding it from view. Note that the actual class name (.site-header__cart) may vary depending on your theme, so you might need to inspect your site's elements to find the correct class or ID.
Conclusion
Customizing your Shopify store by removing or hiding the shopping cart can be a powerful strategy, whether for aesthetic reasons, site maintenance, or phased brand launches. By following the step-by-step methods provided, you can achieve a sleek, cart-free Shopify storefront that aligns with your current business needs and goals.
Remember, while these adjustments do not prevent customers from accessing the cart page directly (should they know the URL), they do serve the purpose of visually simplifying your store's interface, making them an effective solution for many scenarios.
FAQ
Q: Will hiding the cart icon affect my store's functionality? A: Hiding the cart icon will not affect your store's underlying functionality. Customers can still add items to the cart if direct links are provided, and all backend processes remain intact.
Q: Can I reverse these changes later? A: Absolutely. By removing the CSS rule or uncommenting the HTML code, you can restore the visibility of the cart icon at any time.
Q: Is it possible to hide the cart for specific products only? A: Yes, but this requires a more nuanced approach, such as creating alternate product templates without add-to-cart buttons or employing app-based solutions that offer more granular control over shopping cart features.
Q: Do I need to hire a developer for these changes? A: While not necessary for basic changes, consulting with a Shopify expert or developer can be beneficial for more complex customizations or if you're not comfortable editing theme files yourself.
