There’s no denying the impact of color on marketing. From influencing impulse buying to establishing trust, the colors you choose for your retail space, brand, and packaging can elicit different responses from your clients and create optimal environments for transacting and creating brand awareness.

In this study, we investigate the relationship between color and consumer behavior to help brands choose the right color story for their products and services.

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How do Colors Affect Our Behavior?

The notion that colors affect our behavior is not a new concept in marketing, or any other professional field. People respond to colors from a place that is both psychological and deeply personal.

Blue, for example, is the most universally accepted color and generally causes people to respond positively. Many researchers believe this positive reaction is due to the way our ancestors saw the color blue in favorable weather or a refreshing watering hole.

That being said, even a universally accepted color can hold negative connotations on a personal level, reminding us of an unpleasant taste or smell from a past experience. Color plays an important role in the way we experience and interact with the world around us and it has an even greater influence on the way we consume.

Color and Consumer Behavior

Many marketers understand the importance of choosing the right color for their brand. For example a company that sells sugary candy should stay away from using yellow and green on their packaging and instead use red—a color many shoppers associate with sweetness.

Because many consumers make purchases on a subconscious level, it’s important to choose colors that are somewhat obvious with the traits of the product you’re selling. This is also the case when it comes to influencing purchase behavior.

Just as the color red lends itself to sweet and green to sour, there are also colors that make people buy with different intent. In an article written by the Daily Mail, researchers found that the use of the color red encouraged impulse buying while navy blue triggered a more thoughtful and budget-conscious purchase response.

The Influence of Color on Buyer Moods and Emotions

Color affects consumer behavior in many ways, from impulse purchases to budget-friendly investments. And while this is great from a transactional perspective, the impact of color on marketing can have an even deeper effect on brand-customer relationships.

With insights from qualitative market research techniques, brands can learn to use color to appeal to shoppers on an even deeper level; affecting their mood and appealing to their emotions. For example, it’s well known that the color red evokes feelings of aggression and urgency. The color yellow, on the other hand, is optimistic. When red and yellow are used together in a marketing capacity, the combination of urgency and optimism tells consumers a story.

When brands effectively reach customers on an emotional level, this deeper relationship builds the foundation of brand awareness and can even change shopper habits.

How Brands Can Use Color to Build Brand Awareness

According to an article published by Digital Information World, 93% of consumers reported focusing on visual appearance when buying a product. This staggering number demonstrates just how dramatically color affects our behavior and how important it is to consider when building brand awareness.

Brands that effectively use color combinations can convey a very specific message about their products and services. For example, customers associate trust with the color combination white, green, and blue. Meanwhile, black, green, and blue are synonymous with security.

Swapping out white for black may not seem like a very dramatic change, but these nuances heavily influence a brand’s perception in the public and make it easier for prospective customers to discover your brand.

Understanding color and consumer behavior requires marketers and brands to learn about consumers and connect with their customers. Learn more about the motivations and preferences of your customers today with qualitative and quantitative data-driven marketing research from Insights in Marketing.