Olympic athletes are buying smaller size to fit their newly lithe bodies or, in some cases, opting for more revealing fashion styles because they consume fewer calories.
Some clothing companies have noticed that consumers are ordering smaller-size items when purchasing new clothes, which they believe is because the customers ‘ weight loss after taking Ozempic or another weight-loss supplement GLP-1 is likely to have decreased. Walmart has also stated that because of the high reputation of the drugs, shoppers are also purchasing “fewer units” of food, and Nestle has also created a line of products especially for GLP- 1 users.
There’s almost a type of use, from food and beverages to travel and leisure, that Americans ‘ increasing implementation of the weight- loss drugs did n’t stir up, according to researchers studying the drugs ‘ impact on consumer behavior.
It is already having an impact on some classes ‘ requirement and will be with others. We are unsure of what the new drug industry will change because of the millions entering it. Leigh O’Donnell, vice president of purchasing perspectives at Kantar, a market research company, told CBS MoneyWatch.
Consumers are reducing their size.
According to Bryan Davis, the founder of Teddy Stratford, a New York City-based company that sells fitted gown and casual shirts for men, much of his long-time customers have recently started ordering tops that are two sizes smaller than their regular orders, prompting him to consider what was causing the change.
” Because we are an electronic- trading business, we can see our customer’s personal getting history, and we monitor it for irregularities to alleviate returns and exchanges”, Davis told CBS MoneyWatch. We’ve seen more and more of our customers order smaller dimensions than they have in the past. They always confirm that the fresh length was intended when we ask them to ensure that.
Of course, Davis ca n’t be sure that weight loss drugs are driving the pattern — the company does n’t survey customers about their use of the medications. He does, however, believe that the trend is being influenced by the fall of GLP-IIs. Although we were n’t sure why this was occurring, it makes sense. Our client is usually higher making, and they could surely obtain Ozempic”, he said.
According to Nicki Zink, the company’s deputy head of market research, about one-third of weight loss medicine people who were surveyed by Morning Consult said they were buying new clothes more frequently than they did prior to starting the treatment.
” It makes sense that folks would be looking to buy smaller clothes or new styles, as well”, Zink told CBS MoneyWatch.
Additionally, reports from Impact Analytics, a retail forecasting firm, indicate that enough customers are sizing down for retailers to notice. The company examined sales patterns at Manhattan’s Upper West Side, which it identified as the epicenter of GLP-I drug use.
Compared to 2022, sales of women’s button- down shirts in sizes XXS, XS, and S increased by 12 % in 2024, while sales of XXL, XL and L sized shirts decreased by 11 %. The shift will force retailers to adapt alongside consumers, according to Impact Analytics.
Retailers will be affected enormously by the slimming down of America, which could cost them about$ 20 million annually due to inaccurate size trends. As more people take GLP- 1 weight-loss medications, these losses will only grow, according to Impact Analytics founder and CEO Prashant Agrawal.
Hip- hugging fabrics
While during the COVID- 19 pandemic Americans gravitated toward comfortable, baggy and sometimes figure- hiding clothing like sweatpants, O’Donnell of market- research company Kantar said that, anecdotally, she’s recently seen a rise in consumers gravitating toward stretchy, body- hugging fabrics, as well as styles like body- con dresses, which show off wearers’ every curve.
Body positivity is ingrained in it, she said. It says, whatever shape you are, let’s see it. It also gives a lot of flexibility, versus the pair of blue jeans I bought 10 years ago that were cotton, heavyweight, and I needed to be the exact shape of the jeans to feel good in them”, she said.
Eating out is down, exercising is up
The Morning Consult survey of more than 4, 400 U. S. adults, conducted in November 2023, also found that 38 % of GLP- 1 users reported exercising more often since starting to take the drugs. That could be a boon to the fitness industry, if in the coming years more Americans invest in gym memberships, exercise classes or at- home equipment.
At the same time, they are cooking at home more frequently, versus eating at restaurants, likely because that gives them greater control over the ingredients they consume, as well as portion sizes.
Additionally, according to Morgan Stanley research analysts, survey respondents said they exercised more once they started taking anti-obesity medications. Respondents who reported exercising twice a week increased from 35 % before to 71 % after.
According to Morgan Stanley’s equity research analyst Brian Harbour, “perhaps as patients lose weight, they simply feel more physically able and mentally motivated to exercise more, to compound the benefits they are seeing from weight loss medications,” he said in a research note.