How to Hide Shipping Address if Local Pickup is Selected in WooCommerce

When running a WooCommerce store, providing various shipping options to customers is essential for a smooth checkout process.

One common scenario arises when customers prefer local pickup over traditional shipping methods. In such cases, hiding the shipping address fields during checkout can be beneficial to avoid confusion and streamline the process.

This guide will discuss how to hide the shipping address if local pickup is selected in WooCommerce, offering a user-friendly solution for the store owner and the customers.

Why Should You Hide Shipping Address?

There are several reasons why a WooCommerce store owner should hide the shipping address when customers select local pickup as their shipping method. Below we list some of them.

Key Benefits:

• Customer Convenience: By hiding the shipping address, customers are not required to provide redundant information for local pickup orders, making the checkout process faster and more convenient. This can encourage repeat purchases and enhance customer loyalty.
• Reduced Confusion: When customers choose local pickup, displaying shipping address fields can confuse them. By hiding the shipping address, it eliminates any confusion about whether the order will be shipped or picked up, ensuring a smooth and straightforward experience for customers.
• Privacy Protection: By not displaying the shipping address during checkout, the risk of potential theft or unauthorized access to the customer’s address is minimized. This can provide customers with an added layer of security, especially if they are picking up valuable or sensitive items.
• Simplified Order Fulfillment: With the shipping address hidden for local pickup orders, store owners can easily identify and manage orders that require pickup, ensuring a more efficient order fulfillment process.
• Clear Communication: By removing the shipping address for local pickup orders, customers are provided with a clear and consistent message that the order will be picked up, eliminating any potential confusion or miscommunication.

What are the Prerequisites before Hiding the Shipping Address

Before implementing the process to hide the shipping address, ensure you have installed WordPress and WooCommerce.

Since you cannot hide the shipping address when a customer selects local pickup using WooCommerce’s built-in settings, an advanced plugin that supports this feature needs to be installed. For this, we recommend using Dotstore’s Local Pickup plugin, which not only supports hiding the shipping address but also allows you to hide it by default.

In the next section, we will talk about why Dotstore’s Local Pickup Plugin is the best choice for you.

Dotstore’s Local Pickup Plugin

Dotstore’s Local Pickup plugin is a powerful tool for WooCommerce store owners to add various functionalities to the checkout page. Below are some key features of the plugin.

Key Features:

• Hide Shipping Address: The plugin automatically hides the shipping address when customers select the local pickup from the checkout page.
• Multiple Pickup Locations: Customers can select multiple locations to pick up their orders.
• Scheduled Pickup Times: Customers can schedule a specific time of day to pick up their orders.
• Holiday Dates Configuration: You can select dates when the store is closed or on holidays to prevent customers from scheduling on days when pickup is unavailable.
• Pickup Options by Product: You can specify shipping instructions for various product categories. For example, you can only allow local pickup for heavy and oversized products, free shipping for local deliveries, and paid shipping for out-of-town orders.

How do you Hide the Shipping Address if Local Pickup is Selected in WooCommerce?

The process of hiding the shipping address if local pickup is selected is very easy. As we already stated, WooCommerce’s built-in local pickup plugin does not hide the shipping address when local pickup is selected.

Installing Dotstore’s Local Pickup plugin on your WooCommerce resolves this issue as it automatically hides the shipping address at the checkout page if the customer selects local pickup as his shipping method.

Below we will explain the entire process in detail.

1. Install the Plugin

First, you need to install Dotstore’s Local Pickup plugin.

• Go to your WordPress Dashboard.
• Navigate to Plugins → Add New and search for “Dotstore Local Pickup”.
• Install and activate the plugin.

2. Setup the Plugin

Setting up the plugin is very easy. Follow the step-by-step guide (read here) to set up local pickup at your WooCommerce store.

The next section will show you the settings that hide the shipping address.

3. Hiding the Shipping Address

As stated above, Dotstore’s Local Pickup plugin automatically hides the shipping address when the customer selects local pickup from the checkout page.

1. In the Dashboard, go to Dotstore Plugins → Cart & Checkout Settings.

2. In the “Choosing Locations” settings select “Allow customer to choose location per product” from the dropdown menu.

3. Scroll down to the bottom and select “Save Changes”.

4. If the customer selects “Local Pickup,” the shipping address will not be displayed at the checkout page. However, you should not confuse the billing address with the shipping address. The billing address will still be displayed since the invoice will be generated at this address.

5. However, if the customer selects “Free shipping”, the shipping address will be displayed on the checkout page.

What type of Stores hide Shipping Addresses?

Many stores choose to hide the shipping address when local pickup is selected at the time of checkout. To help you decide whether you should hide the shipping address, we have listed some stores that hide the shipping address.

• Stores that also offer Digital Products and Services: When selling digital products such as software, e-books, or online courses, there is no need for shipping. By hiding the shipping address, the checkout process becomes more focused on the digital content, providing a smoother experience for customers.
• Stores that offer Subscription-Based Products: For businesses that offer subscription-based products or services like streaming services, the shipping address may not be relevant during checkout.
• Furniture Stores: Furniture stores often deal with heavy or oversized products that are best picked up by customers themselves or handled through specialized delivery services.

Don’t confuse the Billing Address with the Shipping Address

The checkout page will still show the billing address necessary to bill for the purchases. Don’t confuse the billing address with the shipping address.

On the billing address, your customer’s invoice will be generated. The billing address is where the customer’s payment method is registered, and it is essential for processing payments and generating invoices. Collecting essential information like the customer’s name and e-mail address is crucial for processing payments and generating invoices.

On the other hand, the shipping address is where the order will be delivered. While hiding the shipping address can streamline the local pickup process, it is crucial to ensure that the billing address is enabled to facilitate smooth payment transactions and accurate billing.

Final Words

Hiding the shipping address for local pickup orders ensures that customers do not encounter unnecessary fields during checkout. This leads to an improved user experience, increased conversions, and boosted sales.

Dotstore’s Local Pickup plugin simplifies local pickup and hides the shipping address, ensuring a tailored and efficient checkout experience for both store owners and customers.

Get a free trial for 14 days and enjoy the flexibility that Dotstore’s Local Pickup plugin offers. So, what are you waiting for? Try Local Pickup from Dotstore (click here) and watch your store grow by leaps and bounds.

FAQ

What is Local Pickup in WooCommerce?

Local pickup is a feature in WooCommerce that, when enabled, allows customers to pick up their orders physically from the store’s location instead of having the orders shipped to their homes.

If you want to know more about it, please check this comprehensive guide.

How do I offer local pickup in WooCommerce?

Offering local pickup in WooCommerce is very easy. You just have to go to the WooCommerce settings in the dashboard, set up shipping zones, and add local pickup as a shipping method.

To learn about the step-by-step process of how to offer local pickup in WooCommerce, you can read our comprehensive guide here.

Shipping zones are geographical areas where you can offer different shipping options to your customers. You can read our detailed guide here if you want to read more about shipping zones.

How do pickup locations work?

When customers check out from your WooCommerce store, they can select a nearby pickup location on the checkout page to pick up their order.

When the order is ready for pickup, your store notifies the customers. They can then come to the selected location, show the order confirmation, and collect their orders.