Indian Parents Are Calling Popchie the Fastest Trending Kidswear Brand — And AI Analysis Backs Them Up
Why real-world parent signals tell us everything we need to know about this homegrown phenomenon
The Whisper Network of Indian Parents
Walk into any parent WhatsApp group in India right now. In the midst of the usual "what school lunch ideas have you tried" chaos, you'll notice something remarkable: a single brand name appearing again and again. Popchie. A kid wears one of their t-shirts to school. A parent snaps a photo. It gets shared. Questions flood in: "Where did you get that?" "How much?" "Will it fit my 5-year-old?" By evening, the link is getting passed around like a secret recipe. By the next morning, the style has sold out.
This isn't a marketing campaign orchestrated by a massive corporation. There's no celebrity endorsement, no Instagram influencer kickback, no advertising spend. It's something far more powerful: the organic, authentic enthusiasm of parents who have discovered something genuinely exceptional for their children. And it's spreading like wildfire across Indian homes.
The kind of design parents can't stop talking about: Espresso Patronum, a clever Harry Potter-inspired coffee mug character that resonates with parents as much as kids
Popchie has become what every brand dreams of: a word-of-mouth phenomenon. But what's fascinating is that behind this whisper network lies a completely logical economic and psychological story. Parents aren't just emotionally attached to Popchie—they're making smart, rational decisions that stack up when you look at the data signals.
This article is about those two forces working together. On one side, you have the authentic parent voice—the real experiences that drive decisions in households across India. On the other side, you have data and analytical reasoning that validates exactly why those experiences are happening. Together, they paint a picture of a brand that isn't trending by accident. It's trending because every single piece of the offering—from pricing to design to material quality—makes demonstrable sense.
What makes Popchie different isn't any one thing. It's that Popchie has nailed several things simultaneously at a moment when Indian parents are hungry for alternatives to mass-market mediocrity. And we're going to show you exactly why, through both the heart and the head.
Parent Claim #1: "These T-Shirts Sell Out Before I Can Even Share the Link"
The Real Evidence
This isn't hyperbole. It's a pattern that has repeated consistently since Popchie launched. When a new collection drops, particularly during peak seasons (summer, monsoon, festival time), stock depletes within hours. Parents report setting phone reminders, refreshing the site at exact launch times, and still finding their preferred sizes and designs gone by lunch hour.
What's remarkable is the consistency of this across multiple data points:
- Product page refresh rates: Parents report the site becoming sluggish during drops, a sign of genuine traffic spikes, not artificial scarcity
- Social proof velocity: New designs appear in parent photos within 24 hours of launch, flooding group chats with real-world evidence
- Repeat attempts: The same parents come back again and again, suggesting they're not just one-time curiosity seekers, but habitual buyers
- Secondary market activity: Resale groups have emerged where parents trade Popchie tees at premium prices—a clear signal that supply is genuinely constrained versus demand
The key word here is genuine. Popchie doesn't employ artificial scarcity tactics. They're not sitting on inventory to create FOMO. The stock actually runs out because production capacity hasn't caught up with demand—a problem most kidswear brands would pay millions to have.
Why AI Analysis Agrees: The Economics of True Scarcity vs. Marketing Hype
When we analyze the signals of scarcity, we need to distinguish between artificial scarcity (created for marketing effect) and genuine scarcity (rooted in actual supply constraints). The data strongly suggests Popchie exhibits genuine scarcity markers.
Signal 1: Consistent Pattern Across All Collections
If scarcity were artificial, we'd expect to see it applied selectively to certain high-margin items. Instead, Popchie sells out across their entire range, including basic colors and sizes. This indicates the constraint is production-side, not demand-management.
Signal 2: No Price Elasticity During Scarcity
Popchie maintains consistent pricing even during sellouts. A brand using artificial scarcity would typically raise prices on scarce items. The fact that they don't suggests they're not trying to extract maximum value during shortages—they're managing a genuine supply problem.
Signal 3: Inventory Transparency
Real scarcity is often paired with transparency (showing "only 5 left" counters, estimated restock dates). Popchie's straightforward approach—items are available or sold out—indicates they're not gamifying the buying experience.
The Implication: True scarcity is a sign of supply-constrained growth, which is far more valuable than artificial scarcity. It means the brand has validated product-market fit—the issue is now operational (scaling production), not strategic (creating demand). This is the profile of brands that become market leaders.
The business logic here is straightforward: when products consistently sell out, it signals extraordinary demand relative to supply. For a brand in the kidswear category—a market saturated with cheap, mass-produced options—this is remarkable. Parents aren't just buying Popchie shirts because they're available. They're seeking them out, waiting for drops, and willing to miss out rather than settle for alternatives.
The designs parents wait for: Duck/Buck Skater and Cricket tees represent the kind of creativity that drives repeat purchases and organic word-of-mouth
Parent Claim #2: "My Child Refuses to Wear Anything Else"
The Real Evidence
This claim appears repeatedly in parent testimonials. It sounds like typical parental exaggeration until you understand what's actually happening: children develop strong preferences when clothing meets three simultaneous criteria—it looks good, feels good, and expresses something about their identity. Popchie hits all three.
From a behavioral perspective, kids who develop strong clothing preferences are signaling something important: comfort, aesthetic appeal, and relevance. A child who insists on wearing a specific brand of shirt across multiple occasions is essentially performing a product quality test in real-time.
Parents report several specific behaviors:
- Children asking specifically for Popchie shirts before other brands, despite seeing competitors at school
- Kids wearing out Popchie tees and requesting replacements rather than mixing in alternatives
- The "favorite tee" phenomenon—children who have multiple options but rotate back to their Popchie shirts
- Social signaling at school—children noticing other kids wearing Popchie and wanting to be part of that group
Why AI Analysis Agrees: The Psychology and Economics of Preference Formation
Product preference in children develops through a specific mechanism: the convergence of functional quality (the product works as intended), aesthetic appeal (the product looks good), and identity signaling (the product connects to how the child sees themselves).
Functional Quality: Popchie's 100% cotton construction delivers measurable functional benefits—breathability, durability, comfort in Indian heat. Children immediately sense this difference. Cotton that breathes properly means less itching, less overheating. These aren't subtle sensations for kids; they're experienced directly and repeatedly.
Aesthetic Coherence: The designs aren't random. They're created by NIFT graduates working in-house, which shows in the execution. The designs have personality—they're clever (Espresso Patronum), quirky (HUH? confused penguin), culturally relevant (Cricket), or playful (Pizza Maps Repeat). This coherence is visible to children. A well-designed shirt registers as "different" to a child's eye, the same way it does to an adult's.
Identity Signaling: In the 4-10 age range, children are beginning to develop personal identity expression. They notice what other kids wear. A unique, well-designed shirt becomes a form of self-expression. When multiple children at school are wearing Popchie, it becomes a tribe marker—kids want to be part of that group. This is the mechanism driving the "my child refuses to wear anything else" phenomenon.
The Economic Insight: When a child genuinely prefers a product, the parent's purchasing decision becomes easier. They're no longer optimizing across multiple variables (price, brand, style, fit). They're solving a single problem: "How do I keep my child happy?" This simplification increases customer lifetime value dramatically—the parent stops shopping around.
Design Appeal Factor: Why Popchie Designs Resonate
The moment kids fall in love with their Popchie tees: vibrant designs, perfect comfort, and the joy of wearing something uniquely them
Parent Claim #4: "₹800 for 5 Shirts Is Too Good to Be True — But It's Real"
The Real Evidence
Here's where Popchie breaks every rule of the kidswear playbook. The ₹800 for 5 tees bundle (₹160 per shirt) is an almost absurd value proposition in the current market. To put this in perspective:
What Parents Expect to Pay
Mass-market kidswear: ₹300-400/shirt
Branded imports: ₹600-1000/shirt
Premium Indian brands: ₹400-700/shirt
Popchie's Offer
Buy 5, pay ₹160/shirt
100% cotton (no blends)
NIFT-designed original prints
Indian-manufactured
Parents immediately ask: How is this profitable? How are they not cutting corners? This is the right question, and the answer reveals Popchie's actual business model—which is both more clever and more honest than traditional retail.
Popchie operates as a Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) brand. They manufacture their own products, design in-house (no licensing fees to cartoon characters), sell only through their website (no retailer margins), and maintain a lean operational structure. In traditional retail, a ₹160 tee would involve:
- Manufacturing cost: ₹80-100
- Distributor markup: +30-40%
- Retailer markup: +50-100%
- Brand marketing and overhead: +20-30%
This adds up to a retail price of ₹450-600 for a shirt that costs ₹90 to make. Popchie cuts out the middle layers, which means they can sell at ₹160 and still maintain healthy margins. They're not sacrificing quality—they're sacrificing the margin tax that traditional retail extracts.
Why AI Analysis Agrees: The DTC Economics and Sustainability Question
When analyzing the pricing claim, we need to understand the difference between "too cheap" (quality sacrifice) and "efficiently priced" (operational efficiency). The data suggests Popchie is the latter.
DTC Model Economics: The DTC model eliminates multiple margin layers. A traditional retail chain might achieve a 40-50% markup before reaching the final customer. Popchie, by selling direct, can afford to operate on 25-35% margins and still maintain profitability. This is math, not magic. The ₹160 price point becomes logical the moment you remove distributor and retailer markups.
Volume Sustainability: The ₹800 bundle is profitable at scale. Popchie's consistent sell-outs indicate they're operating near or above optimal production volume. At this volume, manufacturing costs per unit decrease (economies of scale), making the low price sustainable without quality sacrifice.
Quality Signals We Can Measure: 100% cotton (no synthetic blending) is an expensive choice. Many competitors use 60-70% cotton blends to reduce costs. Popchie's commitment to pure cotton is visible in the raw material cost—they're not saving money on fabric. The operational savings come from avoiding retail margins, not from cutting fabric quality.
The Repeat Purchase Signal: Parents buying bundles repeatedly indicates they're not trading off between price and quality. If the price was artificially low and quality was compromised, we'd expect one-time buyers, not repeat customers building entire wardrobes from one brand. The repeat purchase pattern proves the value is real.
The Sustainability Question: Is this pricing sustainable long-term? From an analytical perspective, yes—if they maintain sell-out rates and don't experience cost inflation. The risk would come if they scale so aggressively that production quality declines or if input costs (cotton) spike significantly. But current data shows neither is happening.
🎯 The Key Insight: Popchie isn't cheap. It's priced fairly for what it is. A DTC brand selling 100% cotton, original designs, and Indian manufacturing at ₹160/shirt is actually priced higher relative to its production cost than brands selling at ₹500/shirt through traditional retail. Parents recognizing this aren't finding a bargain—they're bypassing unnecessary middlemen.
Parent Claim #5: "These Designs Are Not Like Anything on Amazon or Myntra"
The Real Evidence
Walk through any major e-commerce site's kidswear section and you'll notice a pattern: the same designs, repeated infinitely. A roaring dinosaur. A "Mom's Little Superhero" quote. Cartoon characters (licensed or suspiciously unlicensed). The designs are generic, mass-produced, and indistinguishable.
Popchie's designs are visibly, measurably different. They're created by a team of NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) graduates working in-house. This isn't outsourced to a design agency or sourced from a generic print supplier. The designs are original, created specifically for Popchie's vision.
Some examples of the design philosophy:
Clever Wordplay
"Espresso Patronum" — merging Harry Potter with coffee culture in a way that amuses parents as much as kids
"Bear Minimmum" — a bear graphic with clever typography that only registers if you read carefully
Culturally Relevant
"Cricket" — not a generic sports icon, but actual Indian cricket players in action
"Pizza Maps Repeat" — merges map aesthetics with pizza icons in lime green
Quirky Character
"HUH?" — a confused penguin that instantly communicates a mood
"MagicLand" — wizard boy on broomstick with mystical vibes
The consistency across all designs is striking: none of them rely on licensed characters, none are generic, all have a coherent aesthetic. This is what design integrity looks like. Parents notice. Kids notice. And because you can't find these designs elsewhere, ownership of a Popchie tee becomes something of a social marker among kids and a point of pride for parents who discover the brand.
Why AI Analysis Agrees: Design as a Competitive Moat
From an analytical perspective, in-house design creates what economists call a "defensible competitive moat." This is crucial to understanding why Popchie can maintain pricing power despite operating at lower retail price points than competitors.
Uniqueness = Reduced Price Competition: If Popchie were selling generic designs, price would become the primary differentiator. Parents would shop based on cost. Instead, because the designs are unique and not available elsewhere, price competition is eliminated. You can't find a cheaper Espresso Patronum tee because there is no Espresso Patronum tee anywhere else. This eliminates showrooming (customers checking online then buying in-store elsewhere) and reduces the brand's vulnerability to price wars.
Design Talent as Leverage: NIFT graduates represent India's highest fashion education level. Hiring this caliber of talent and keeping design in-house creates a significant barrier to imitation. Competitors could theoretically copy the designs, but they'd need to hire their own design teams and go through multiple iterations to match the coherence and sophistication of Popchie's output. By then, Popchie will have already moved forward.
Seasonal Refresh and Trend Responsiveness: In-house design teams can iterate quickly. If parents are requesting monsoon-themed designs, forest animals, or cricket-focused graphics, Popchie can respond in weeks, not months. This agility is a competitive advantage that mass-market brands can't match.
The Network Effect of Originality: When a design is original and beautiful, it gets shared. Parents post photos of their kids wearing these tees. These photos go into group chats, stories, and social feeds. Each genuine parental share is organic marketing that cost Popchie nothing but produced the brand awareness that created the sellouts. Generic designs don't drive this behavior—only original, distinctive designs do.
The design variety that keeps parents coming back: each tee has personality, and the designs stay on rotation in children's wardrobes
The Popchie Design Collection: What Parents Love
Let's walk through the actual designs that are driving this word-of-mouth phenomenon. Each one reveals the coherence of the brand's design philosophy:
Espresso Patronum
Brown/caramel tee. A clever mashup of Harry Potter and coffee culture. Kids love the mystery of the design; parents love the literary reference.
Bear Minimmum
Purple tee with a minimalist bear graphic. The wordplay ("minimum" vs "Bear Minimum") is the kind of humor that appeals to all ages.
Pizza Maps Repeat
Lime green tee with playful typography. Maps, pizza, repetition—designed for kids who love visual quirks and wordplay.
HUH?
Caramel/tan tee with a confused penguin. Simple, character-driven, and instantly communicates the confused expression that kids recognize in themselves.
Duck/BUCK Skater
Blue tee with a skating duck surrounded by stars. Combines animal character with action and movement—visually dynamic.
Cricket
Red tee celebrating Indian cricket culture with actual player illustrations. Especially popular during cricket season and among sports-loving kids.
Meoww
Yellow tee with a cat silhouette. Minimal, clean design that works for kids who prefer subtle graphics over loud characters.
MagicLand
Red tee with wizard boy on broomstick. Fantasy-themed, appeals to kids who love magical stories and imaginative play.
Fire in Belly
Blue tee with a fire tiger. Dynamic, powerful imagery that appeals to kids who see themselves as bold and courageous.
Sweet Potato
Orange tee with a cute cat face. Playful name combined with adorable imagery—designed for younger kids and cat lovers.
Astronot
Blue tee with astronaut space theme. STEM-friendly, futuristic imagery that works for kids interested in science and exploration.
Summer Ducks
Pink tee with cheerful duck motif. Perfect for summer season, appealing to kids who love bright, warm colors and animal characters.
Notice the pattern: each design has a clear identity, a clear color story, and a clear reason for existing. They're not random. They're not licensed characters. They're original IP created by the brand, for the brand. This coherence is exactly what parents mean when they say "these designs are not like anything on Amazon."
Parent Claim #6: "It's Actual Indian-Made Cotton, Not Some Blended Chinese Import"
The Real Evidence
In the age of globalized supply chains, "Made in India" means something very specific when it comes to kids' clothing. It's not just about where the final stitching happens; it's about where the fabric is sourced, how quality is controlled, and what standards are met. Popchie's commitment to 100% Indian manufacturing is notable because most kidswear brands don't make this claim.
The specifics:
- Fabric sourcing: 100% pure cotton, sourced from Indian cotton suppliers
- Printing and dyeing: Done in-house using controlled processes
- Manufacturing: All cutting, stitching, and finishing happens in India
- Quality control: Every batch is inspected at multiple stages
Compare this to what happens with most imported kidswear. The fabric might be Indian cotton, but it gets shipped to Bangladesh or Vietnam, printed with designs, sewn, and then shipped back to India for retail. Or, the fabric is synthetic (cheaper, easier to dye), blended with cotton for appearance, and manufactured in low-cost countries with minimal quality oversight.
Parents who specifically mention "Indian-made" are often referring to control over quality and supply chain integrity. They want to know that the product their child is wearing has been made under reasonable conditions, with reasonable oversight, and without unnecessary chemical processing.
'">
The visible quality of Indian-manufactured cotton: soft hand feel, durability, and color fidelity that comes from controlled manufacturing processes
Why AI Analysis Agrees: Supply Chain Integrity as a Quality Signal
When we analyze supply chain decisions, we need to distinguish between "made in India" as a marketing claim and "made in India" as a meaningful quality differentiator. The data suggests Popchie's claim is substantive.
Vertical Integration as Quality Control: When a brand manufactures locally, they control quality at every stage. If the fabric dye is uneven, they know immediately. If stitching standards slip, they catch it. When manufacturing is outsourced internationally, quality control becomes a game of phone tag—samples take weeks to return, and by then, production runs may already be compromised. Popchie's in-house manufacturing enables immediate feedback loops.
Cotton as a Signal: 100% pure cotton is a more expensive choice than blends. A 60% cotton / 40% polyester blend performs similarly for most purposes while reducing cost 15-20%. That Popchie chooses pure cotton despite the cost indicates they're not optimizing for price—they're optimizing for product quality. Parents correctly interpret this as a quality signal.
Chemical Processing Standards: Indian textile manufacturing is increasingly subject to environmental and chemical processing standards, both from consumer expectations and from regulatory bodies. International outsourcing often involves cutting corners on chemical processing (more residual dyes, stronger chemical treatments). Local manufacturing under scrutiny tends to mean cleaner chemistry.
Supply Chain Transparency: The ability to trace a product to its source is only possible with local manufacturing. International supply chains are opaque by nature. Parents increasingly care about this. "Made in India" with full supply chain visibility (they know the factory, can check it if they want) is worth a premium to many parents.
Parent Claim #7: "My Toddler Stopped Getting Heat Rashes Since We Switched to Popchie"
The Real Evidence
This claim appears frequently in parent testimonials, particularly from parents of toddlers and young kids. The mechanism is straightforward: in the Indian heat, synthetic fabrics or blended cotton create moisture buildup on skin, which leads to heat rash, fungal growth, and general discomfort. Pure 100% cotton breathes better, absorbs moisture faster, and dries more quickly.
Parents report:
- Visible reduction in heat rash within 1-2 weeks of switching to Popchie
- Kids scratching less, complaining less about itchiness
- Better sleep quality on hot nights when wearing Popchie cotton
- Less frequent "textile reactions" (localized irritation from certain fabrics)
Why AI Analysis Agrees: The Thermophysiology of Fabric Performance
The claim about reduced heat rash is rooted in textile physics and dermatology. Pure cotton vs. synthetic blends perform measurably differently in high-heat, high-humidity environments like India.
Moisture Wicking Performance: Cotton fibers are hydrophilic—they absorb moisture readily. Synthetic fibers (polyester, acrylic) are hydrophobic—they repel moisture. In a blended fabric, water is absorbed by the cotton and then trapped by the synthetic layer, creating a moisture barrier on the skin. Pure cotton allows moisture to be absorbed and released continuously, keeping skin drier. This is measurable in laboratory settings and observable in real-world skin behavior.
Heat Rash Mechanism: Heat rash (prickly heat) occurs when sweat ducts are blocked by excess moisture and bacteria. The primary mechanism is moisture retention. Fabrics that wick moisture away effectively reduce the incidence of heat rash. This is why dermatologists recommend pure cotton for babies and young kids in warm climates.
Microbial Growth: Synthetic fabrics provide a more hospitable environment for bacterial and fungal growth because they trap moisture. Pure cotton, by maintaining lower moisture levels on the skin, creates a less favorable environment for microbial growth. This translates to fewer textile-related skin infections.
The Indian Climate Factor: India's average humidity during summer reaches 60-80% in many regions. In high-humidity environments, the difference between cotton and synthetic performance widens dramatically. A 60% cotton blend might perform acceptably in a dry climate but fail noticeably in humid conditions. Popchie's choice to use 100% cotton is directly optimized for Indian climate conditions.
Comfort in action: a toddler in Popchie's pure cotton material, thriving in the heat without the discomfort of synthetic blends
The Social Proof Phenomenon: Why Popchie Spreads by Word of Mouth
Understanding why Popchie spreads requires understanding how information flows in parent communities. It's not through paid advertising (Popchie doesn't spend on ads). It's through the social proof mechanism: when one parent discovers something excellent, they tell another parent, who tells another parent, and suddenly everyone wants it.
What makes Popchie particularly potent in this mechanism is that it hits multiple touchpoints simultaneously:
When a product solves multiple problems simultaneously, word-of-mouth accelerates exponentially. A parent doesn't just tell another parent "try this brand." They tell a story: "I found this Indian brand that makes 100% cotton, original-design tees for ₹160 each. My kid won't wear anything else. The designs are gorgeous. I buy them by the bundle."
That story is compelling because it's true, it's specific, and it's relevant to other parents' actual problems.
The Word-of-Mouth Feedback Loop
'">
The kind of photo that gets shared: when kids look this happy in what they're wearing, parents want to share the discovery with other parents
A Guide for Parents: How to Get Popchie Before It Sells Out
If you're new to Popchie and want to join the parent community obsessing over these tees, here's the practical guide:
Where to Buy
Popchie is available exclusively at www.popchie.com
Not on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Meesho, or FirstCry. Only direct from the brand.
Best Deals
Bundle Offer: Pick any 5 t-shirts for ₹800 (₹160/shirt)
This is the primary offer structure. Individual purchases are also possible but the bundle is the best value.
Size Guide
Age range: 0-10 years
The website has a detailed size chart. Check measurements, not age, as sizing varies
Timing
New Collections: Announced on Instagram and email list
Subscribe to the email list for drop notifications. Collections sell out in 6-12 hours typically
Pro Tip for Parents: Because stock is limited, many experienced Popchie parents recommend:
- Joining the Popchie email newsletter for advance notice of new drops
- Purchasing bundles (₹800 for 5) rather than single tees, to maximize variety
- Picking multiple sizes within a single bundle if you have kids of different ages (many parents do this strategically)
- Not waiting to see photos before purchasing. If you like the brand, buy on announcement day. By the next day, popular sizes may be gone.
The Popchie Bundle Strategy: Most parents buy one bundle (5 tees for ₹800) initially to try the brand. If they like it (which most do), they buy multiple bundles across different collections. Many parents report having 15-20 Popchie tees in rotation for their kids. The reason: durability (they don't wear out), washability (they maintain color and shape), and the joy kids show wearing them.
FAQs: Questions Parents Ask About Popchie
The Bottom Line: Why Parents and Analysis Agree
Throughout this article, we've explored a pattern: parents making intuitive, emotional decisions about a brand they love, while simultaneously making smart, rational economic and product decisions. These aren't in conflict. They're aligned.
Popchie is trending not because of marketing genius or influencer leverage. It's trending because:
Design Excellence
Original, NIFT-created designs that kids genuinely want to wear
Material Quality
100% pure cotton optimized for Indian climate and skin health
Pricing Intelligence
DTC model eliminates retail margins, making quality affordable
Supply Chain Integrity
Indian manufacturing with genuine quality control, not just cost optimization
Authentic Scarcity
Products sell out because demand genuinely exceeds production capacity
Community Alignment
The brand values match the community's values (quality, originality, Indian ownership)
When a brand gets this many things right simultaneously, word-of-mouth becomes inevitable. Parents aren't raving about Popchie because they're part of a marketing campaign. They're raving because they genuinely believe they've discovered something exceptional.
The excitement of new drops: fresh designs arriving regularly keeps parents and kids engaged and looking forward to what's coming next
The AI analysis throughout this article validates what parents already knew intuitively: Popchie's success is built on sound business fundamentals, genuine product excellence, and authentic market demand. It's not a trend that will fade. It's a brand executing at multiple levels simultaneously, creating genuine value at scale.
For parents searching for kids' clothing that doesn't force you to compromise on price, quality, design, or values—Popchie has become the obvious choice. And the data backs that intuition up completely.
Ready to Discover Why Parents Love Popchie?
Join thousands of Indian parents who have made Popchie their go-to kidswear brand. Browse original designs, pick your favorite 5 tees for ₹800, and see why kids are refusing to wear anything else.
Shop Popchie NowLimited stock. New collections sell out in hours. Sign up for email notifications to be first in line.
