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Free Plugin by HappyKite v1.8.3

Force Default Variant for WooCommerce

Removes the Standard WooCommerce variant default of 'Choose an Option' and replaces it with a variant.

Force Default Variant for WooCommerce

The facts

Rating
4.8★ from 21
Active installs
3k+
Price
Free
Last updated
5 Sep 2025
Added
Nov 2015
Requires WP
4.2
Tested up to
WP 6.8.8
Downloads
58,267

Our analysis

AI-assisted

Force Default Variant for WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin designed to enhance the user experience on WooCommerce sites by setting default variants for variable products. It removes the 'Choose an Option' placeholder from dropdowns, ensuring that a default variant is always visible, which can help improve conversion rates by making the 'Add to Cart' button accessible without requiring user selection.

The plugin allows shop owners to configure default variants based on various criteria, including position, ID, and price. This is particularly useful for sites with numerous products, as it streamlines the process of setting defaults and reduces customer confusion.

Best for: This plugin is suitable for WooCommerce store owners looking to improve the shopping experience for variable products.

What it does well

  • ✓Removes the 'Choose an Option' placeholder from dropdowns
  • ✓Always displays a default variant for products
  • ✓Configurable sorting options for default variants
  • ✓Reduces customer confusion and potential drop-off
  • ✓Compatible with WooCommerce Version 2.4 or greater

Where it falls short

  • •Requires WooCommerce to function
  • •Limited information on specific features and user experience

Verdict

Force Default Variant for WooCommerce offers a straightforward solution for setting default variants, which can enhance usability on eCommerce sites. It is a practical choice for those managing multiple variable products.

From the developer

HappyKite's own description of Force Default Variant for WooCommerce, lightly tidied.

Please Note – This plugin requires WooCommerce Version 2.4 or greater in order to properly function.

All WooCommerce variable products have a dropdown to select which variant the customer wants to add to cart. The standard behaviour is to not set a default and until a variant is chosen the ‘Add to Cart’ button is not visible.

This can cause confusion to customers coming to your site, which as a knock on affect could cause a lower than average conversion rate.

You can solve this by manually setting a default option per product, but this can be time consuming on sites with lots of products and also the user can still ‘clear’ the selection, causing the Add to Cart button to hide again.

This plugin aims to solve these issues by removing the blank ‘Choose an Option’ value from the dropdown, removing the link to clear the options and instead listing out only the actual variants, always setting a default.

This default can be configured in multiple ways; the shop owner can choose to either list the variant by Position, ID, Price Low -> High and Price High -> Low. If there are multiple variants with the same Initial Sort (Price for example), you can now assign a secondary sort function. These can be Position, ID, Stock Levels or Total Sales.

This can all be changed via the WooCommerce -> Settings -> Product -> Variant menu. If you have already set a default variant for each individual product, you can decide to keep that, or use this plugin instead.

Read the full description on the official page →

Tagged as

purpose eCommerce & Online Store
platform WooCommerce
topic Replace Remove Add to Cart Products Product Add Prices Price

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