Many different factors can influence our shopping habits. Some people stick to familiar brands, others focus more on price, and many rely heavily on recommendations from trusted sources. Yet, it may surprise you that a product’s appearance can sway us even more.
When looking at a wall of unfamiliar products, we have little to go on besides the packaging and the price, and we might be drawn to specific package colors if we have trouble deciding. Let’s explore how significant this factor is for the average shopper.
Can Color Really Shape Our Shopping Habits?
Yes, color can heavily impact the products we buy. Research suggests that most people are swayed by colors in packaging and logos when shopping. Multiple studies show that 85% of shoppers make purchase decisions based on color. 93% of consumers say that appearance, in general, is a major factor, and 80% indicate that color greatly affects brand identification.
Since shopping is often done quickly, people need to decide which products to buy in only a few seconds. Research shows that most people make a judgment about a product within 90 seconds of seeing it. In many cases, that’s only enough time to see the product on the shelf and spend some time glancing at the packaging. So, it’s no surprise that 62% to 90% of people make that judgment based on color alone. After all, there isn’t much else to focus on in such a short time.
Colors catch our attention and evoke certain meanings and assumptions. These factors play a huge role when someone has to choose between two products they’re unfamiliar with. While some people are very aware of color impacts, others may be influenced by colors when shopping without even noticing.
How Color Broadly Influences What We Buy
There are lots of ways colors can sway your decision when shopping. Below are just a few examples of why you might choose a product because of its color.
Color Stands Out More Than Other Factors
A product’s appearance is the first thing you’ll notice about it in most cases. From a distance, you can see what colors a product is before you get a chance to look at the price and the details on the packaging. While finding out more information about a product can sway your decision, you might have been leaning toward one item because of its color before finding out more. If the products you’re choosing between are very similar, appearance will likely be the deciding factor since there isn’t much else to go on.
Plus, if you’re shopping in person, you probably don’t want to waste too much time standing around observing a product. Most people quickly grab an item off the shelf and then continue shopping. So, the average person won’t spend time looking at much else besides the product’s appearance. Since color is such a big part of appearance for most products, it often stands out more than other factors.
Each Color Has a Unique Effect on Our Mood
Every color has emotions associated with it, which may vary based on the context. How we feel when looking at a color may affect whether we want to buy that item or not. For example, yellow is usually seen as a happy color, so it may work best on fun products, such as toys and craft supplies. Blue may feel more relaxed and casual, making it ideal for everyday products, such as personal care and household necessities.
This thought process works for both individual products and company logos. Consistent brand colors can create a recognizable brand identity and display what the brand is selling. For example, red can evoke excitement and hunger, so it’s commonly used in food packaging. Green is peaceful and healthy, so it may be used for brands that prioritize health and well-being.
Colors Cause People to Make Assumptions
Colors can sometimes tell us something about the product without us having to look at the packaging’s information. For example, green products are often made of natural ingredients, meant for outdoor use, or come from an eco-friendly company. Red may indicate that a product is warmer than it is, making it beneficial for blankets or sweaters.
Even if the assumptions we make aren’t true, they may sway which product we choose to buy. If we’re looking for an eco-friendly product, we may choose the one with green packaging over the other ones, even if the green one isn’t the most sustainable choice. Researching products can be a lot of work, so sometimes, it’s easier for us to use visual cues to decide if the products fit what we’re looking for.
We May Associate Colors With Certain Qualities
While colors can help us guess the product’s details, they can also make us think of certain qualities. For example, blue, green, and white packaging might seem more trustworthy than other colors. However, if a product uses yellow, orange, and brown, people might think it’s cheap (which can be positive or negative, depending on the context). Too much black, gray, and red on a product could invoke fear, which might be suitable for horror books or spooky decorations but not so much for everyday items.
If we associate product colors with positive qualities, we may feel more compelled to buy those products. Conversely, if we associate the colors with negative qualities, we may be less likely to buy something. So, the colors and color combinations used on a product may have more impact than we realize.
Warm Colors Have Different Effects Than Cool Colors
Whether the product uses warm colors or cool colors can significantly affect customer reactions. Warm colors (like red, orange, and yellow) have lots of energy, while cool colors (like green, blue, and purple) evoke calmness.
Regarding products, warm colors usually encourage people to impulse buy items because they quickly catch your eye, making you want to buy something that wasn’t on your shopping list. Cool colors work better for shoppers who wish to make educated decisions. If a product uses cool colors, customers may feel more compelled to take their time when looking at the product details.
People Prefer Some Colors Over Others
Sometimes, people prefer certain colors over others, and that could influence their decision. While every person has different color preferences, several studies indicate that blue is the most preferred color when shopping. Blue is the most popular color in the world so that data makes sense. Therefore, if the other factors don’t matter for a product, making it blue could be a great way to help it sell.
The most popular colors after blue vary depending on the study, but they usually consist of black, green, yellow, purple, and red. Since there isn’t as consistent data for other colors, blue is usually the most reliable color to choose. However, if the company is marketing to a certain audience that’s likely to prefer different colors, that’s when they might focus on other colors instead. For example, if the product is a toy marketed to young girls, pink is usually a safe color choice.
Color Variations Require You to Choose Colors
Certain products, such as clothing, accessories, and decorations, may come in more than one color option. For these products, you have to choose between several identical products of different colors. While some colors are generally more popular than others, this decision is all about personal preferences.
Maybe you always lean towards your favorite colors. Or perhaps you already have a lot of one color, so you want to choose something different (for example, someone with many pink dresses will likely look for a different dress color). Whatever the reason, the decision comes down to color in these situations. These trends can be hard to predict, but the colors should usually fit the product type and go along with what colors are the most popular at the time.
Seasons Could Affect Color Choices
It’s no surprise that different colors are popular during different seasons. Fall is the perfect time to bring out more orange, yellow, and red to match the changing leaves. Summer is known for bright, vibrant colors, while winter is ideal for darker colors and neutrals. Holidays also increase the popularity of specific colors, such as red and green for Christmas and orange and black for Halloween.
So, customers may find themselves drawn to different colors depending on the time of year. Even if a person is all about bold colors in the summer, they might be drawn to simpler color patterns in the winter. And maybe someone doesn’t normally like orange, but they love decorating with orange items as soon as fall rolls around. Thus, product colors don’t need to stay consistent year-round.
Sellers Need to Consider Colors When Marketing
There are many things to consider when creating and selling products, but color is a crucial aspect that sometimes gets overlooked. Consistent color branding can help people recognize a brand, and using colors strategically for packaging and advertising can significantly impact how well the products sell, so companies need to ensure they use the right colors to their advantage.
When choosing product colors, consider what you want people to think and feel when they see them. If you’re trying to sell something fun and exciting, you can use cheerful, high-energy colors like yellow and orange. On the other hand, if you sell reliable everyday products, you may want to focus on calm, cool colors like blue and green.
Choosing colors for marketing can be challenging, but when you’re mindful of how colors influence consumer behavior, the right color choices can connect your products with your target audience.
