Color impacts our perception of products, websites and retail experiences, but how much influence do colors have on our behavior as consumers? We know that the power of color is very much in the eye of the shopper, attached to cultural and personal associations. So when we read about how ‘red makes people do this’ while ‘blue makes people do that,’ we know to take it with a grain of our own knowledge that information is only as good as the data and conditions it is based on. To answer the question posed in the first sentence: we don’t know. If you know, please share it with us.
The main point KISSmetrics tries to make with this infographic is that color is the strongest and most persuasive visual cue… What do you think? are you persuaded by colors? Is this infographic just recycling the same old unproven information? Are we making it worse by re-recycling (we’ve done it before)? Check out the sources for yourself, they might be able to help you make those color choices, or they could just simply be an interesting read. You can also look at the discussions about this infographic going on in the comments at KISSmetrics & Huffington Post.
So, if you can’t trust the color data what can you trust? Yourself, your customers and your own findings. Keep it visual: if it looks good on your products and it looks good with other colors you’ve already decided on (i.e. existing website, business identity) then it will look good to your customers.
I think the best colors to use are those that reflect the personality of the products and the people behind the products. If you make products for likeminded people, and you’re one of those people, chances are those people will share your taste in color. And if you really want to consider the thoughts of others (which is a smart and nice thing to do) A/B test your colors and let your own data, based on your own customers, help you decide.
Infographic Sources
The Psychology of Web Performance
The Psychology of Color in Marketing by June Cambell
The Effects of Store Environment on Shopping Behaviors: A Critical review by Shun Yin Lam
The Profit of Color by Color Marketing Group
The color love in this post was sponsored by HP.
