How Does Colour Affect Consumer Behaviour

What does colour really mean to the consumer, or how does colour really affect consumer behavior? Colours can have a powerful psychological effect as there is a strong connection between colour and feelings. Colour enhances the sales of products. Hemphill (1996) mention that colours is a powerful marketing tool that significantly encourages consumer purchases, which accounts up to 85% of the reason why someone decides to purchase a product. Businesses must apprehend the psychology of colour in order to use it effectively. Colour can evoke emotions and therefore it can change our behavior too. For example a red sports car can create feelings of excitement, or a blue sea can create feelings of peace and calmness. This is also supported by science, as colour addresses one of our basic neurological needs for stimulation. Colour triggers very specific responses in the brain and in the whole body. The study research shows that red colour can raise blood pressure and heart rates, while blue lowers blood pressure, pulse, and respiration rates. For businesses, colour differentiates the identity and brand. Therefore it is strongly suggested to use emotional benefits of colours which can be a key to a brand’s identity.

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Literature Review

It is important to explain the three basic principles of colours; hue, saturation, and value in order to understand associative learning on the differences of colour on consumer behaviour (see fig.1). Hue is the wavelength of a colour and determines its label, such as orange or green. Saturation is the intensity of a colour, or, how pigmented a colour is. Value is how bright a colour is. Together, these three factors determine how people perceive colour and thus the associations they form with