How Colors Influence Decision Making

By Joanne Volkert, jvolkert@lessitermedia.com
Marketing Manager, Lessiter Media

Did you know that RED is the first color a baby sees? Or that WHITE is the “safest” color in terms of automobiles least likely to be involved in an accident resulting in death? Or, the timeliest fact considering summer is upon us, mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors, especially BLUE?

You might not realize it, but color has been known to have a powerful psychological impact on people’s behavior and decisions. And this knowledge has been harnessed all too well in marketing psychology by designers and marketers alike. According to Small Business Trends, color can often be the sole reason someone purchases a product. In a survey, 93 percent of buyers said they focus on visual appearance, and close to 85 percent claim color is a primary reason when they make a purchase.

With that in mind, think about how color can impact your next product launch, promotional campaign (call-to-action buttons, headlines, etc.), an email newsletter template or even how your brand is perceived?

Reference the infographic below for an overview of how nine different colors influence people.

Color matters, but approach color choice intelligently. Back it up with data through testing to see how certain colors affect your customers and the action they take – or don’t take.

I’ll leave you with one last fun fact… the color ORANGE was initially called “Geoluhread” which means yellow-red. It wasn’t until the 16th century that Europeans adopted the same word for both the fruit and the color.

Orange you thankful for that!