RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Back in 2020, Dr. Deepika Naidu conducted research on inclusive sizing and discovered that offering extended sizes — from 00 to 32, or XS to 4XL — increases consumers’ trust in retailers and their willingness to spend more.
“I think people want retailers to be more inclusive. People acknowledge that retailers are going above and beyond when they do this,” Dr. Naidu said. “They’re trying to include more people, and consumers realize they did a good thing. I’m willing to do something above and beyond, pay a little more.”
The research is significant given that Dr. Naidu says 68 percent of American women wear clothes outside of standard sizes.
But the retail landscape is shifting. Articles from CNN and Forbes reveal that companies are rolling back or changing their approach to inclusive sizing.
The rise of Ozempic and “Skinny Tok” — social media trends promoting thinness — have been cited as potential causes for the change.
“Some companies are putting their extended sizes online only or axing them altogether, which is unfortunate, but our research shows that there’s actually benefits and upsides of having these extended sizes,” Dr. Naidu said.
The trend raises questions about the future of inclusive sizing in retail. Whether retailers will continue offering extended sizes in stores, shift to online-only options, or abandon inclusive sizing altogether remains unclear, Dr. Naidu said.
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