How Do Colors Affect Purchases?

Picking a product to buy has more to with the look than we care to admit, especially when trying it out for the first time.

As much as quality is necessary, the color of the brand also has some psychological effects.

Also, your website theme color tells a lot about your product. It may incite streams of emotions and feelings in the mind of visitors.

This is because of the senses or emotions characterized by a particular color.

For instance, Red signifies action; Green signifies go; Pink appeals more to the female folk, and Blue is sometimes associated with the male folk.

Despite the tags attached to various colors, your choice of color is one that will stick with the brand and further aid in identifying it among a sea of similar brands.

For instance, Starbucks is characterized by green color, McDonald’s by red and yellow, Harley Davidson by Red and orange, amongst others.

THE INFLUENCE OF COLORS ON BRANDING AND PURCHASING

Colors have a specific part to play in people’s decisions; this knowledge is used in marketing by marketers and designers.

A survey once showed that 85% of buyers buy products because of their color. As a result of this, it is vital to associate your brand with a specific color.

This will help represent your business as well as how you want your customers to feel.

The personality of your brand is also dependent on the colors you use and the feelings they give those who patronize you. Also, the appropriateness of color for your brand is usually responsible for the relationship between the color and brand.

Also, marketers encourage brand owners to choose a different logo color from that of an already existing competing brand.

This is because you, as a new brand, want to stand out and be unique when compared to the other brand.

For instance, the food industry is dominated by the color red; for Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and KFC. Thus, a new food brand might have issues standing out with a red logo.

Colors are also attached to traits such as orange standing for confidence and Blue representing calmness and focus.

However, instead of picking logo colors based on stereotypes and popular connotations, you should make use of colors that define your brand personality.

Additionally, customers will react to colors based on their personal experiences and cultural backgrounds. This makes it near impossible to channel a specific emotion through a particular color.

Although colors can be a deciding factor for customers, there is little proof that the choice of color will increase sales.

Instead, the mood and feelings your brand incite, coupled with the image, can persuade your customers.

Colors help to create these moods and emotions that characterize your brand.

Thus, picking the right color for your brand is a bit tasking as you want to pick one that can become synonymous with your brand.

For instance, Starbucks is synonymous with the green color, just as Barbie is synonymous with pink.

PSYCHOLOGY OF POPULAR COLORS IN MARKETING

One can think of color when one is in a particular mood; thus, colors can also, in turn, trigger a stream of emotional changes.

Website designs thrive on this knowledge; apart from being similar to the logo color, the theme colors on websites are psychologically inclined.

Figure 1: Colors used for buying buttons  Source: Amasty

The Call to Action button, for instance, comes in different colors in a bid to attract different customers and encourage them to either buy or sign up.

In marketing, some of these colors have become widely known and used as substitutes and not on the whole page. Some of these colors include:

• Red
• Blue
• Green
• Purple
• Black
• Orange

THE COLOR PSYCHOLOGY OF RED

A research carried out by Robert Barton, and Russell Hill on the Impact of Red on Combat Sports in 2005 showed that competitors wearing red were more likely to win. They wrote, “We find that wearing red is consistently associated with a higher probability of winning.”

The red color is usually associated with power and urgency, as well as power and anger.

So, it is only reasonable to want to be careful around the shade, especially when using it on a website design. It is one that you should use, albeit sparingly.

In sales, red is responsible for pushing visitors to action.

For instance, after an excellent pedigree, impressive design, and mouthwatering offer, your call to action button can be set in red color.

This will create a sense of urgency in customers.

Consequently, you see the color red in action during clearance sales and promo sales. Black Friday sales advert is also set in red to give you that sense of urgency.

Your goal is to attract people to your store instead of the other; so, your sales sign should be bright and scream importance.

Additionally, red is a color that stimulates appetite, thus, its use in various fast-food chains. It is also associated with excitement, passion, and movement.

When using red, you want to be careful as it incites different emotions in different people.

This is as a result of cultural, political, and personal affiliations.

THE COLOR PSYCHOLOGY OF BLUE

The blue color is synonymous with tranquility, stability, and calmness; thus, its popularity in financial institutions.

Also, it is associated with trust and security; therefore, it comes in handy when trying to sell an item at a somewhat high price.

Blue color has a way of boosting sales indirectly. This is usually done by quelling anxiety ahead of time. Contrarily, red color works by triggering the nervous system, thus, raising tension. Blue does the exact opposite of this and triggers sales by calming you down and increasing trust levels.

Thus, it is an excellent choice for websites that sell utilities like medicine, insurance, or finances. It is usually used as the background of these sites and also conversion elements like call to actions.

You will find blue color in most insurance and financial sites like PayPal. It uses light blue shades to represent security and freedom and dark blue shades to indicate a sense of intelligence and tradition.

However, navy blue and royal Blue could also be used by financial industries to give a mode of sober security.

Additionally, blue curbs appetite and promotes productivity, while signifying peaceful nature such as water and clouds. However, just like other colors, its use should be optimum to avoid coming off as unfriendly or cold.

You can use blue color against a white background as a conversion element; pair a lighter and darker blue shade to give a more readable text.

Also, this color is visible for people who are red-green colorblind as they can easily see blue.

THE COLOR PSYCHOLOGY OF GREEN

Green is synonymous with the environment, used to represent natural and organic items.

Thus, it appeals to people with the same interest, even when the connection may not be direct.

Studies have shown that green color makes people more creative than their counterparts as it is associated with tranquility. This color also triggers harmony in the brain and aids decisiveness by creating a balance.

Asides its association with outdoor and the environment, it stands for go on traffic lights. Green conversion elements encourage purchases by making it seem to like permission rather than urgency.

Also, green color is perfect as a call to action and buy button. For instance, the Dell Company has a unique website that uses the right tone at the right time.

They have red to indicate the special offers, blue color dominating the page, and green as their conversion element all on a white background.

This color is best used in contrasting colors and white spaces. It can also blend into sites where it is the primary color without being too loud.

Green buy buttons are the best option if you would instead give your visitors the green light rather than a red alert sale.

Although the green color is used to alleviate anxiety and nervousness (green room – a relaxing room used by television guests before going on air), overusing this color could signify moodiness and depression.

Also, it could be accompanied by feelings of laziness and slowness; thus, moderation is advised when using this on your brand.

THE COLOR PSYCHOLOGY OF PURPLE

Purple is a color that represents royalty, wealth, affluence, and power. It is known as a color associated with wisdom, as it is said to stimulate creativity. This color also connotes spirituality and imagination.

It is one of the top three colors for women and the least three for men.

Consequently, because of its appeal to the female folk, it is seen as the matured version of pink.

As a result of this tag, when considering using this color, you have to be conscious of your audience.

You cannot appeal to adult males with this color, and you can’t also attract this audience into clicking on the “buy” button if it is purple.

In marketing, purple is used to appeal to the female folk and used when trying to sell beauty products and luxury items. It is usually paired with yellow-green to give a splash of color and on black and white backgrounds as a color splash for conversion elements, menu items, and also branding.

You can use this color as a statement color for conversion elements and branding of sites that have a background color of light blue, cream, or brown color.

You do this in a bid to exude competence and seriousness. It is commonly seen in financial businesses as well as some educational organizations.

Additionally, when working with purple, you should be aware of the tint and shade you are using as each hue sends across a different message.

You can choose a high saturation or deep tone of purple with Blue to avoid a feminine look.

On the other hand, a more feminine look will require you pairing the light hues of purple with pink or red colors.

THE COLOR PSYCHOLOGY OF BLACK

When black is mentioned concerning marketing and branding, one would have a bit of a pause as it is not used often.

This color is associated with power, authority, and strength. It can also be a sign of sophistication and independence.

Contrarily, it connotes evil, depression, mystery and may cause sadness and negative feelings if used too much.

Black is used to representing high-end or luxury brands that appeal more to the male audience. Some of these brands are Lamborghini, Polo, Rolls-Royce, e.t.c. In websites, black is used mainly because of its legibility and high contrast.

However, it is rarely used as a conversion element, as it could be tough to see unless it is an outline.

Some websites use black and white to give the perfect contrast, especially on call to action buttons. No matter the background used, black and white always stands out and creates an impression.

Consequently, you should use black in small measures unless you are selling luxury items and trying to appeal to adult males.

Additionally, you can adopt it as an element on a colored website.

THE COLOR PSYCHOLOGY OF ORANGE

This color is a bold and bright color that combines Red’s energy and yellow’s cheerfulness. This makes orange a color that represents comfort and warmth, as well as an appetite stimulant.

Orange is known to be a motivating color and is an all-round positive energy color. Also, it could be used to represent enthusiasm in life generally.

Most times, orange is used to bring comfort during tough times, as well as to depict fun and freedom visually.

In websites, orange is quite popular, mostly used to buy buttons and calls to action. It stands out against different backgrounds, hence, its frequent use. Additionally, it is rarely used as a brand color; thus, it becomes an attractive, orange button on the page.

Also, orange is an excellent choice for conversion elements in simple websites, even though it is the least favorite color of both men and women.

However, it is still a color that people feel positive about when used on a website.

Some famous brands that use orange effectively include Harley Davidson, Nickelodeon, Home Depot, among others. Also, orange represents caution, as you can see this sign on highways.

Despite its popular positive vibes, it should still be used sparingly to avoid overwhelming visitors on your site.

Figure 2: Favorite and least favorite colors of both genders  Source: SmartInsights

SOME TIPS ON PERFECTING YOUR CONTENT (IN TERMS OF COLORS)

Whether you are a professional marketer or not, content creation is now vital in making sales; thus, these are some tips to help you deliver effectively.

• Don’t go too green: Green is undoubtedly associated with tranquility and creativity; however, it shouldn’t be overused. Using green on a green background is a no-no. Also, yellow on a green may be great as a dress combination, but it is a red alert for readability. Additionally, light green is a bit of a balancing act as you need to know the best color to complement it. Another wrong combo to avoid is green, purple, and yellow, as content with this color may be too distracting.
• Be wary of the dark: Dark write-ups are popular in websites and make significant conversion elements, especially on a bright background. However, you should avoid using dark colors on a dark background. Colors like blue, red, and purple should not be used on dark backgrounds. This is a deal-breaker for many visitors on websites. Although the black background is rarely used, if you must use it, then consider pairing it with bright colored fonts (preferably white, light blue or light grey). Additionally, when using a black background, remember to use a 40/60 or 50/50 ratio so that black does not overlap the other colors that you may use.
• Subtly shine your light: Light colored backgrounds are usually a favorite among most brand websites. It is generally paired with dark colors to give a perfect contrast and easy readability. Using a light-colored font on a light background is an error that could lead your visitors away as it could be challenging to read with bright colors.
• Cloud your rainbows: Unless your target audience is children, then rainbow colors are a bit unreadable. Neon color could be eye-catching at first, but it slowly becomes irritating to the reader if it is overused. Thus, you could opt for pastel colors or muted rainbow colors that are blended accurately to give your readers the best.
• Pattern your text accurately: When you use a colorful background, the interest of your readers is most likely drawn to the picture rather than the text. Thus, if you want to place the text on a patterned background, you could make the colors dull or a bit opaque before placing your text. Another way to do this is to insert your text in a bold colored text box.
• Limit your multi-color boxes: Multi-color boxes are vibrant and add excitement to your website. However, overusing it may seem immature and could disturb the eyes. The maximum should be three different colors on a page, rather than splashing too many colors except you are doing a color campaign.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Colors house a bank of emotions and are capable of transferring these emotions to readers.

Some may stimulate urgency or calm anxiety; others may be a safe place for some people, while some may excite or bring up thoughts of danger.

Knowing how to harness these properties and use them to advance purchases is one secret that could be helpful to your brand.

The best way to do this is to align your brand with colors that will represent your brand accurately.

Although few colors have been said to be perfect as a call to action buttons, it is still important to note the context in which you are applying it.

Thus, it is best to run personal tests on these button colors to know what works more with your brand.