Should you find yourself in a position where you need to put your WooCommerce store on a temporary hiatus for whatever reason, there are several measures you can implement to prevent customer access during this period. Below are the recommended actions to take:
Step 1: Log in to Your WordPress Dashboard
The first step is to log in to your WordPress dashboard. Once you have logged in, navigate to the “Plugins” section and deactivate the WooCommerce plugin.
Step 2: Change Your Site’s Permalink Structure
The next step is to change your site’s permalink structure. This will prevent customers from accessing your shop pages directly. To do this, navigate to the “Settings” section of your WordPress dashboard and select “Permalinks”. From there, select “Custom Structure” and enter a custom structure that does not include any reference to WooCommerce.
Step 3: Create a Maintenance Page
The final step is to create a maintenance page that will display when customers try to access your shop. To do this, create a new page in WordPress and give it the title “Maintenance Mode”. In the body of the page, include a message letting customers know that your shop is temporarily unavailable and provide an estimated time for when it will be back up and running.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you can temporarily disable your WooCommerce shop without causing any major disruptions to your customers. Remember to reactivate the plugin and restore your permalink structure once you are ready to reopen your shop.