Color can affect us in many, many ways. It can make us feel stronger, faster, or even more creative. Colors can cause a change in mood and vice versa. Continue reading below to learn about some of the emotional triggers that colors can influence (source).
Colors and Consumer Types
Impulse shoppers are pretty much what you’d think they are – individuals that regularly make impulsive purchases. These types of people usually can be found around fast food, outlet malls, and clearance sales. If you were to compare the three, you’d notice they share a lot of similar colors including black, red orange, and royal blue.
Budget buyers keep their bottom line in mind when shopping. They can commonly be found in large department stores as well as banks and financial and investing businesses. The two colors that seem to influence budget buyers the most are navy blue and teal.
Traditional buyers are those that don’t fit in the two prior groups and are usually found in clothing and retail stores. They are drawn to pink, sky blue, and rose colors.
So... Can Color Really Affect Conversions?
Surprisingly, the answer is, “yes”, but color isn’t universal. In fact, colors that entice Americans in the United States often differ from those that appeal to shoppers in India.
Notably, in the late 1990s, Heinz, one of the most renowned ketchup producers in the world, introduced a “Blastin’ Green” ketchup. In the early 2000s, the continued sales were promising, and Heinz sold over 10 million “Blastin’ Green” ketchup bottles in seven months, which helped them clear $23 million in sales. While the purple, orange, teal, and other wacky-colored ketchup bottles are no longer sold commercially, you can still find some on eBay, if you look hard enough.
Another example of the impact of color on customer conversions is the European McDonald’s color swap from red to green. The idea is to promote a more eco-friendly image to combat the ever-growing activists vilifying the organization as an egregious example of greed.
In Conclusion
In any case, while you may no longer be able grab a bottle of bright, spinach-green ketchup from your local grocery, you can still notice color changes of logos, branding, and Call to Action buttons. It can be difficult, however, with many variables in the equation like the photographs or assets on your company’s home page, the verbiage that you use, and even where the buttons are located.
Furthermore, customer conversions are never going to be as easy as updating a button from green to red, and will require consistent, routine observation of customer buying habits, interactions with the site, and their searches. Tools that capture user input and behavior such as Hotjar can help shed some light on why customers may be taking the actions they are and help you narrow down ways to increase sales.
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Resources & Further Reading
- Bayston, R. (2020, March 24). 6 Colors That Are Proven to Boost Sales. Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/colors-proven-to-boost-sales/
- Chartrand, J. (2020, January 24). How do colors affect purchases? Infographic. Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://neilpatel.com/blog/color-psychology/
- Farris, V. (2018, September 26). For a Brief, Brief Moment Ketchup Was Green. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://food52.com/blog/21816-for-a-brief-brief-moment-ketchup-was-green
- Kumar, J. (2017). The Psychology of Colour Influences Consumers’ Buying Behaviour – A Diagnostic Study. Retrieved September 08, 2020, from http://journals.christuniversity.in/index.php/ushus/article/view/1761
- The UI Junkie. (2018, October 24). Here’s Why European McDonald’s Signs Are Green. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://theuijunkie.com/heres-why-european-mcdonalds-signs-are-green/