By default, Shopify does not provide a way to pre-select subscription plans on product templates. This is because templates are designed to work across all of your products, and Shopify treats subscription options as an additional layer on top of regular purchase options.
With Instant, you can automatically pre-select the first available subscription plan for any product that offers both a one-time purchase and a subscription option. This ensures that when customers view your product page, the subscription option is highlighted by default, helping encourage recurring sales.
Overview
When a product offers both one-time purchase and subscription options, you can control which option is selected by default when customers land on the page.
Default Selection Options
Option | Behavior |
One-time purchase | The standard single purchase option is selected (Shopify default) |
First available selling plan | The first subscription plan is automatically selected |
How to Make Subscriptions the Default
Step 1: Open Your Product Template
Open the Layouts panel in Instant
Select the product template you want to update
Step 2: Open the Shopify Content Panel
Navigate to the Shopify content panel in the left sidebar.
Step 3: Switch the Default Selection
Locate the default purchase selection setting
Change the setting from One-time purchase to First available selling plan
This ensures the subscription option is automatically selected when customers land on the product page.
Step 4: Save and Publish
Click Save to save your changes
Publish the template to apply changes across all products using that template
How It Works
Product Configuration | Result |
One-time purchase only | Setting has no effect; one-time purchase remains selected |
One-time + one subscription plan | Subscription plan is pre-selected |
One-time + multiple subscription plans | First available subscription plan is pre-selected |
Best Practices
Maximize Subscription Conversions
Practice | Description |
Highlight savings | Clearly show how much customers save with a subscription |
Emphasize convenience | Communicate the benefit of automatic deliveries |
Offer flexibility | Allow customers to easily modify or cancel subscriptions |
Show comparison | Display the price difference between one-time and subscription |
Design Considerations
Make the subscription benefits visible near the purchase options
Use badges or labels to highlight subscription savings (e.g., "Save 15%")
Ensure the one-time purchase option is still easily accessible for customers who prefer it
Quick Reference
Task | Action |
Open product template | Layouts panel → Select product template |
Access subscription settings | Shopify content panel |
Set subscription as default | Change to "First available selling plan" |
Apply changes | Save → Publish |
Behavior Summary
Scenario | Default Selection |
Setting: One-time purchase | One-time option selected |
Setting: First available selling plan (product has subscriptions) | First subscription selected |
Setting: First available selling plan (product has no subscriptions) | One-time option selected |