GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs Are Reshaping Apparel Spending, Returns, and Resale

Quick Facts

GLP-1 users show a 9.9% jump in apparel spending after 6 to 8 months on the drugs, with 73% reporting a meaningful change in clothing size.
Retailers could absorb a $5 billion margin hit by 2027 from size-driven returns, with 65% of GLP-1 users buying multiple sizes before returning the rest.
Resale platforms are seeing triple-digit growth in plus-size listings as GLP-1 users offload old wardrobes at accelerating rates.

GLP-1 weight loss drugs have moved far beyond the pharmacy. They are now reshaping how Americans buy, return, and resell clothing — and the numbers are large enough to force retail operators to pay attention.

Twenty-one percent of U.S. households now include a current GLP-1 user, up from 9% in January 2025, according to PwC analysis of Numerator data. JPMorgan estimates more than 30 million Americans could be on a GLP-1 treatment by 2030, up from 10 million today.

Apparel Spending Is Climbing Fast

Per-household grocery spend has dropped 5.5% among GLP-1 users, while apparel spend jumps 9.9% after six to eight months on the drugs. About 80% of users said they anticipate needing new clothing due to size changes, according to Circana, and 55% of active users have already purchased new clothing or footwear.

Fifty percent of U.S. GLP-1 users report shopping for clothes more often since starting the drugs, while 29% are buying accessories more frequently, according to a Dentsu report. Bernstein analysts estimate growing GLP-1 adoption could increase annual apparel spending by $3 billion to $13 billion, with users expected to carry larger apparel baskets for one to three years as they cycle through sizes.

The category shifts are specific. Formal-wear sales surged 80% and sporting goods jumped 24% in the first six months of 2025 compared with the same period last year, according to Consumer Edge credit and debit card data. GLP-1 users were also more likely than comparable overweight non-users to plan purchases of dress shirts, sweaters, and shorts. Style preferences are shifting toward tighter, more form-fitting garments as users lose weight and move away from the baggy silhouettes that dominated recent years.

Returns Are Getting Expensive

Some GLP-1 users drop roughly one clothing size per month at peak weight loss, according to The Wall Street Journal. That pace makes sizing a moving target and drives up return rates.

The share of apparel exchanges where shoppers sized down has climbed for three straight years, reaching 14.6% in 2025, according to returns management firm Narvar. Women’s bottoms saw return rates climb from 12.3% to 15.2% between 2022 and 2024. The total cost of U.S. retail returns hit an estimated $849.9 billion in 2025.

A report from ReturnPro found that 65% of GLP-1 users bracket, meaning they order multiple sizes of the same item and return what does not fit. That compares to 30% of general consumers. Men on GLP-1 are now more likely than women to bracket, at 20% versus 12%, upending a long-held assumption that women drive apparel return volume.

Impact Analytics estimates retailers could face a $5 billion margin hit by 2027 from misaligned size demand and elevated return costs. Returns generate costs across shipping, labor, warehouse handling, and restocking, with late returns often forcing markdowns on out-of-season inventory.

Resale Platforms Are Absorbing the Overflow

As GLP-1 users shed sizes, secondhand platforms are seeing a surge in supply. Consignment and thrift spending among GLP-1 users climbed 80%, per Consumer Edge, as shoppers look to manage costs during rapid body changes.

Poshmark reported a 103% increase in plus-size clothing listings over the past two years, including an 80% rise in 4XL and 73% rise in 5XL. The platform also noted a 78% increase in new listings with the term “weight loss” in the description. ThredUp named denim as the top category for GLP-1 users on its platform, with the rate of buyers purchasing smaller waist sizes accelerating since early 2025.

For brands and retailers, the GLP-1 shift presents both a revenue opportunity and an operational challenge. Operators who adjust size assortments, return policies, and resale partnerships ahead of the curve are better positioned as adoption continues to climb.