Setting Preferred Countries

Preferred countries appear pinned to the top of the country dropdown whenever a customer opens the phone field. This saves your most common customers from having to search or scroll to find their country.

How It Works#

Without preferred countries set, the dropdown opens with all countries listed alphabetically. A customer in Australia would need to scroll past Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, and many others before reaching their country — or use the search box.

With preferred countries set, Australia would appear immediately at the top of the list the moment the dropdown opens. The customer can select it in one click.

How to Set Preferred Countries#

1. Go to WooCommerce > Smart Phone Field > Settings in your WordPress admin
2. Click inside the Preferred Countries field
3. Start typing a country name
4. Select the country from the suggestions that appear
5. Repeat for up to 3 more countries
6. Click Save Settings

You can set a maximum of 4 preferred countries.

Choosing the Right Countries#

Set the countries where the majority of your customers are based. A few common approaches:

Single market store — If you sell primarily in one country, pin just that country. It will appear at the top and be the obvious first choice.

Regional store — If you serve a specific region, pin the top 2 to 4 countries in that region. For example a store focused on the UK and Ireland might pin United Kingdom and Ireland.

Multi-market store — If you have a spread of customers across several countries, check your WooCommerce order history to find your top countries by order volume and pin those.

If you are unsure, start with your top 2 countries and adjust over time as you learn where your customers are coming from.

Changing the Order#

Preferred countries appear in the dropdown in the order you added them. The first country you added sits at the top.

To change the order, remove all your current preferred countries and re-add them in the order you want. The plugin does not currently support drag-to-reorder within the settings field.

Removing a Preferred Country#

Click the X next to a country name in the Preferred Countries field to remove it. Click Save Settings to apply the change.

What Customers See#

When a customer opens the dropdown they see your preferred countries grouped at the top, visually separated from the alphabetical list below by a subtle divider. The preferred countries do not replace the full list — all countries are still available below.

If the customer’s billing country is already set to one of your preferred countries, it will be pre-selected in the field when they arrive at checkout.

Leaving It Empty#

If you do not set any preferred countries the dropdown simply opens with all countries in alphabetical order. The search box is always available so customers can still find their country quickly. Preferred countries are optional and are there to reduce friction for your most common shoppers.