Apr 11, 2026
Consumer spending across categories has historically been pretty predictable. Spending has long had a seasonality and steadiness to it. But that's changing with unemployment, uncertainty and unrest, and most surprisingly, GLP-1s.
While restaurants are hurting (1), retailers are thriving. Why? Because when people lose weight, they need new wardrobes.
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Researchers estimate (2) retailers will get a $13 million annual boost in spending due to GLP-1 glow-ups. As of 2026, around 10 million Americans (3) are on GLP-1s.
The January 2026 release of the first GLP-1 pill, Wegovy, saw the fastest spike of prescribed users. With self-pay rates starting at $149 per month (4), dropping the pounds no longer hurts the bank.
But that spending is getting redirected elsewhere.
Retailers are gaining steam amid the GLP-1 boom
GLP-1 users drop on average 15-20% of body weight (5), meaning a 200-pound woman would shrink to 160-170 pounds. Some 10 million Americans will be changing clothing sizes.
In this case, shopping becomes a necessity, but there will also be many who want to explore their style, with their new shape. That's a normal response and an important milestone to celebrate.
Retailers like Target and Walmart, as well as online platforms such as Rent the Runway and Thred Up, are responding to customer changes.
"We're like at the tip of the iceberg in terms of what I think this is going to mean for how it changes consumer behavior," Lisa Roath, Target's Chief Merchandising Officer of Food, Essentials and Beauty, told FOX Business (6).
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She shared that "business is absolutely expanding" as Target is already seeing growth in areas like athletic wear, home-fitness equipment, and supplements.
"Everyone's looking for protein," she also added, which is why Target is planning to expand shelf space this year for high-protein and high-fiber foods.
In 2023, Walmart's Chief Financial Officer, John David Rainey, told Bloomberg (7) that customers taking weight-loss drugs were buying less food. Still, however, they "tend to spend more with [the retailer] overall."
As one of the big retailers that has a pharmacy connected, Walmart can capture even more of the market with people picking up their medicine while they're shopping.
Meanwhile, the online market is seeing a very specific demographic of customers emerge as people lose weight. Rent the Runway CEO Jennifer Hyman told The Wall Street Journal (8) that more customers than ever in the last 15 years have been switching to smaller sizes.
While a growing wave of shoppers are searching for smaller sizes, people are putting larger-sized clothing items that no longer fit them up for sale, as well. The CEO of Thredup, James Reinhart, told CNBC (9) that sales for large, extra-large and plus-size clothing were up 6%, meaning users were posting these items.
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"It's an opportunity for us to be successful both on the buy side and on the sell side, as people are rotating out of wardrobes that they no longer fit in," he told CNBC. "We have opportunities to capture some share there."
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Managing your wardrobe budget
If you're on a GLP-1, good for you. It's important to invest in your health. The connection between mental health and financial health is something we don't talk about enough.
Many spending decisions can be unconscious and have more to do with how they make us feel, than the actual item itself.
It's normal to want to overhaul your outfits if you lose weight, especially with the change of season. But consider putting a budget on it. Track how much you can save from other categories, like eating out, alcohol, grocery costs or selling your old clothes.
You could take it one season at a time, rather than restocking your whole wardrobe at once. Allow yourself to pick one piece of clothing that feels like a reward, then thrift the rest. There are plenty of subconscious rewards that come from finding and selling thrifted clothes.
You could even make a game out of piecing together your new wardrobe: selling a piece first before you buy something new.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
Food & Wine (1); CNBC (2),(9); JPMorgan (3); PR Newswire (4); Columbia Surgery (5); FOX Business (6); Bloomberg (7); The Wall Street Journal (8)
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Amanda Smith is a freelance journalist and writer. She reports on culture/society, technology, and health. Her ability to hold a mirror up to society, to see both the malaise and majesty, has led to assignments with highly respected titles such as The Guardian, Business Insider, MIT Tech Review, and National Geographic.
