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How Colors Affect What You Buy

I was on the Huffington Post recently and came across an interesting infographic about colors affect what you buy, and how retailers use it to their advantage in their marketing, displays and other interactions with consumers. The infographic from KissMetrics sites several sources who understand the influences of color.

Some things I found interesting:

•85% of consumers state color as the main reason they buy a product
•Examples of colors and the reasons for using different colors online can impact consumers. For instance, Red is an energy color, can increase heart rate and urgency and for that reason is often used to promote sales.
•Examples of how different colors are used for different types of consumers and the types of venues those consumers may visit. For instance, Red Orange, blue and black and are geared toward impulse buyers and may be seen in fast food, outlet malls and clearance sales.
•You'll also find a bunch of stats about website design, load times and store windows and some insights as to what may cause consumers to shop more, or not even walk in the door.
THE REAL WORLD RETAILING TAKEAWAY

Color can move consumers, but don't lose your brand in your search for the right colors. <!--[endif]-->
I can hear it now -- "the chart said to use purple to create a sense of calm in selling my beauty products, but it didn't do anything."

This chart is not the holy grail, and should be taken lightly. After all, you already have a brand with its own style, voice and visual identity. Are you really going to start changing things because a chart told you to do so? I didn't think so.

But pay attention to some of the relevant items:

Website design. Regardless of whether you're in the e-commerce game or not, nearly everyone (last study I saw said 91%) of consumers visit a website before stepping foot into a store. That means that you're being judged by your website. If it's not up to snuff, not only from a design perspective but from an accuracy and date perspective, you're going to lose customers.

Store windows. If the sign ain't up, they're not walking in. 62% of people said they were more likely to walk in if there was a sale sign up. In this day and age, when there's a "biggest sale of the decade" every Saturday, we truly have taught consumers not to shop unless there's a sale. So get the sign up, even if it's just for the leftover stragglers from last fall that are in a corner in the back of the store marked at 50% off. You still have items on sale in your store.