AlixPartners just released the 2026 Consumer Sentiment Index, which polls more than 9,000 consumers and reveals a retail and apparel landscape undergoing massive change—from the role of physical stores and the use of AI to social commerce and the prioritization of value.
One eye-opening finding from the report is that, no pun intended, GLP-1 drugs are reshaping fashion apparel. About 11 percent of the U.S. consumers are using GLP-1 medications for diabetes and/or weight loss. These include Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound, among others. And that use is impacting inventory management, product development, merchandise planning and returns as well as the resale, alterations and apparel rental segment.
It is also impacting the plus-size segment.
“Among activewear shoppers, the importance of inclusive product options declined from 55 percent in 2024 to 37 percent in 2026,” the report’s authors said. “Meanwhile, the importance of consistent fit and sizing rose from 29 percent in 2025 to 54 percent in 2026. Interest in services such as alterations also increased 29 percent versus last year.”
The fashion apparel and retail experts at AlixPartners said changing body sizes “are presenting new challenges for apparel retailers” and noted their analysis of retail assortments (with the help of data from Edited) “found declines in plus-size offerings at Asos, H&M and Reformation.” At H&M’s plus-size assortment dropped 5 percent compared to the two years prior, while Asos’s offerings declined a whopping 32 percent and Reformation a stunning 60 percent. However, Anthropologie had increased its plus-size inventory.
“One potential result of this trend may be that plus-size consumers find themselves excluded from up-market brands, while brands with a size-inclusive mission stand to lose customers as they shrink,” the report’s authors said. “In the 2026 [Consumer Sentiment Index], Lane Bryant dropped a spot from number 6 to number 7 in classic specialty—or to fill the gap created by drift.”
In other key findings, the report found that only 10 percent of consumers polled said they currently begin product discovery with AI, and most said they aren’t ready to let AI agents make fashion purchases on their behalf. “But with adoption higher among younger shoppers, retailers need to prepare for a future in which AI plays a greater role in purchasing decisions,” the report’s authors said, adding that interest in shopping technology is strong among higher-income consumers, “with 68 percent of those earning $150,000 or more considering it important, compared with 53 percent of those earning less than $45,000.”
Among Generation Z consumers polled, 28 percent said they consider innovative shopping technology very important.
“AI is beginning to change how consumers shop, even if they’re not yet ready to let it make purchasing decisions for them,” said Sonia Lapinsky, global lead of fashion and partner and managing director at AlixPartners. “Retailers need to recognize that this shift is coming and start preparing now. Those that wait until AI-driven shopping becomes mainstream risk falling behind.”
The authors of the report said while AI is gaining traction, shoppers are continuing to prioritize the fundamentals of shopping. The data found that 87 percent of respondents consider product availability important, 84 percent value clean, easy-to-navigate stores and 81 percent said they prioritize access to helpful store associates. “By comparison, 57 percent consider innovative shopping technology important, underscoring the need for retailers to balance new capabilities with consumers’ existing expectations,” the report stated.
And to no surprise, the data showed that shoppers are demanding greater value as apparel prices climb. Of those polled, 86 percent said price and quality must align, “while 88 percent consider transparent pricing important,” the report’s authors said, adding that the average advertised full prices for women’s apparel jumped 15 percent over the two years through August 2026, “putting greater pressure on retailers to demonstrate value through quality and pricing transparency.”
In other findings, shoppers revealed a growing preference for physical store experience. “Consumers are treating shopping in a store as a social and hands-on activity and stores as a ‘third space’ between home and work,” the report noted. To meet this change, retailers such as Coach, Ralph Lauren and Dick’s Sporting Goods have invested in highly engaging, experiential retail settings, such as cafés, customization centers and interactive sports testing zones.”
As a result, the report found these efforts have led to year-over-year basket size growth of 8 percent at Coach, 7 percent at Ralph Lauren and 3 percent at Dick’s.
Regarding social commerce, the survey showed it is evolving and moving beyond influencer partnerships. Of those polled, 81 percent said they have made purchases through social media at least once this year, while just 6 percent said they start product discovery there. And among specialty retail consumers, the data showed the importance of influencer partnerships has declined by one-third since 2025—while interest in brand collaborations has risen. The report found that the traditional social fashion model, where influencers post affiliate links and drive instant sales, “is fracturing as consumer skepticism grows and AI-generated content dilutes digital trust.”
Finally, 68 percent of consumers said personalized service is important and 63 percent said they want a data-driven experience. With in-store features, 56 percent said they want virtual try-on and 49 percent said they want “experiential elements” such as “non-shopping experiences.”
“Ultimately, consumers still place greater importance on the fundamentals of retail than on futuristic store features or high-tech extras,” the report stated.