GLP-1 users much more likely to increase clothing spending

As GLP-1 users shed pounds, their wallets may be getting lighter too, at least when it comes to clothing purchases. Among those who’ve lost weight on drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, 40% plan to increase their apparel spending over the next year, compared to 25% of all respondents, according to a new report from Tinuiti.

Those losing weight also expect to offload some clothing that no longer fits in the next year, with GLP-1 users more likely to resell clothing online (24% compared to 19% of respondents overall) or in physical secondhand stores (33% compared to 20%).

The cohort is also more likely to rent clothing through companies such as Rent the Runway, with 25% expecting to do so in the next year, compared to 12% of respondents overall. Ditto for apparel-trial services like Stitch Fix, with 26% of weight-loss drug users planning to partake, compared to 13% of respondents overall, according to Tinuiti, whose findings are based on a July survey of 1,000 US shoppers who purchase apparel regularly.

“Given that they may still be in flux and not necessarily know where their ultimate weight might land, those types of options are probably going to be pretty appealing,” Andy Taylor, VP of research at Tinuiti, told Retail Brew.

Stitch Fix CEO Matt Baer told investors during a March earnings call that mentions of weight loss in the notes customers write to Stitch Fix stylists before shipments tripled over the previous two years.

“We are out in market and have been for a while explaining to consumers that are on a GLP-1 medication that, as their body transforms, they have the ability to work with a personal stylist to help ensure that they have everything that they need so that they can dress in clothing that fits at each stage of that weight loss journey,” Baer said.

Fits and starts: Shoppers who expect to keep losing weight on the drugs may be more drawn to off-price retailers as their sizes change.

According to Bernstein data cited in a March SGB Media article, GLP-1 users were more likely than nonusers to report that over the last year they’d shopped at off-price retailers including TJ Maxx (60% for users versus 53% for nonusers), Marshalls (55% versus 50%), and Burlington (47% versus 38%).

While GLP-1 users’ purchasing behavior may be a boon for apparel brands and retailers, it’s not all unicorns and rainbows when it comes to the industry’s returns challenges.

When it comes to bracketing, the term for buying multiple sizes with the intention of returning what doesn’t fit, 65% of GLP-1 users are doing so at least occasionally, more than double the rate of consumers generally, according to a July report from returns management and reverse logistics company ReturnPro.

But as retailers increasingly invest in stores and try to lure customers to them, they may have a more receptive audience among GLP-1 users, with 69% of them saying size-and-fit uncertainty has made them more likely to shop in physical stores than online, per ReturnPro.

The weigh ahead: Both the opportunities and challenges GLP-1 users present to the apparel industry could increase.

The percentage of US adults who take GLP-1 drugs for weight loss has nearly quadrupled since 2024, from 3% to 11%, according to a July report from Gallup. If their popularity continues to grow, so too could the impact on myriad segments of the apparel industry.

“I don’t think this thing is really done playing out,” Taylor said.