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The roots of modern marketing can be traced back to the turn of the 20th century and the emergence of various facets of psychology in academic circles, leading to its adaptation in different aspects of society, most notably in public relations and marketing. Since that time making use of psychological findings about human behavior and the eliciting of varied emotions has become a staple in the field of marketing.
There are many ways in which a potential business can make use of these psychological findings; one of the simplest is the role that color plays in influencing behavior. In fact, in a study done by the University of Winnipeg in Canada, it was found that people make their judgments about products within 90 seconds, and that up to 90% of that judgment is based on color.
Neurological scientists are of the opinion that it is not the human eye that perceives color, but it is the brain that does so. As color enters in to the brain through light, it activates various portions of the brain known as visual area 4. This is a portion of the brain located towards the rear of the cranium, below the temples. The activation of these areas in turn activates various brain and bodily functions.
Behavioral psychologists have studied what effects different colors have on people, and using that information marketing experts have specified how various colors can affect business.
Just how effective can color be in business? An experiment was done where a "get started now" button on a home page was changed from green to red. The page was kept exactly the same otherwise, and it was noted that the click rate of the button increased by 21% just from the color change alone.
The following is a list of some general traits of colors and how they may potentially be used in marketing.
There are three primary colors: Red, Blue and Yellow. All other colors are formed via the mixing of these 3 colors. For this list we will be looking at the three primary colors along with the three secondary colors (Orange, Purple and Green).
Red:
Red has been shown to create excitement, and can even increase pulse rate. It creates a sense of urgency and gives the perception that there may be a limited time to act. Studies have shown that something as simple as changing the color of a button on an eCommerce site to red has created significant increase in conversion rates.
Blue:
Blue is a calming as well as authoritative color. Many studies have shown that worldwide Blue is most often selected as a person's favorite color. This makes blue a very neutral choice in color schemes, and can be an effective choice when attempting to convey information to a customer.
Yellow:
Yellow is considered to be the "strongest" of colors; it evokes feelings of happiness and optimism. Gold is a shade of yellow, and thus gives yellow an effect on the viewer that is deeply rooted in the psyche. Used correctly on an eCommerce site yellow and its various shades can give a potential buyer the impression that the product advertised may increase their personal happiness and satisfaction.
Orange:
Orange is often seen as a "fun" color. It brings about warmth and in bright shades it is the most eye catching of all colors. Using orange can be a great way to draw the eyes attention, and potentially convey information to a customer.
Green:
If used effectively green can create a sense of trust and a feeling of reassurance. It is very easy for the eyes to adjust to green light. When used correctly green can be placed on an eCommerce site to give assurances to the customer and invoke in them a feeling of confidence towards the retailer. Note that virtually all security icons (such as padlock icons when accessing secure pages) are shown in green.
Purple:
Purple is among the rarest of all colors to be seen in nature, coupled with its historical use in many cultures as being a color associated with royalty. Purple can be an ideal color to communicate the high quality and uniqueness of a product.
There are many ways in which color can be utilized, and there are many factors that play in to how effective color changes are. The prudent business owner would do well to pay special attention to color schemes on their website, taking in to account their target audience, what emotions they wish to evoke for their particular products or services, and the potential cultural implications of color choice based on the national and ethnic background of their audience.
If you would like some more info on how color can help your eCommerce, give us a call. Building the best eCommerce sites is what we do!
San Diego Media
800.808.8696
www.sandiegomedia.com