Color Makes Powerful Difference to Consumers

"Color is so amazingly powerful," according to psychologist Joerg Bose, "that it is no surprise people throughout centuries have sought to connect it with something meaningful beyond the experience, itself." Color is often the primary factor in peoples' decision to purchase one product over another. Savvy leaders build on art and science to choose colors for products, decor, packaging and attire.

A recent study, "Consumer Color Preferences," points out color factors in most for 86% of folks buying clothes, 76% of people purchasing a car or motorcycle and 72% for people choosing home appliances according to BuzzBack Market Research and Pantone. Interestingly, out of 44 colors tested, only six received 48% of all votes. And, bright white, along with shades of brown and gray failed to receive votes.

When both men and women responded to a Women's Wear Daily question, "What is your favorite color to wear?" here's what their survey revealed:
Other factors enter in. For instance, women prefer soft colors, pastels, bright pinks and purples. Men selected dark colors. Interestingly, youth (13-20) choose pinks, while more mature folks (55-64) are more likely to pick corals. Latinos opt for black more often than do other cultural groups. And, when it comes to personal care items, white's the favorite according to an article in Research Alert, "Product Colors Influence Consumer Purchase Decisions."

Overall, more than half of teens and adults or 54% "feel most confident with red, considered an attention grabber; black slimming, and blue experienced as ego gratifying according to the BuzzBack and Pantone research.

Amazingly, a 2006 DuPont national poll shows "as many as 40 percent of consumers willing to switch brands for a specific color." Keep in mind that color trends change over time as well./

Kathryn Young, in "Colours of the Mind," Montreal's The Gazzette, lists ways color connects to feelings:

Blue gives a sense of calm
Greens cool
Greys and blues help people unwind
Red stirs life and stimulates both the appetite and brain
Yellow adds warmth and happiness.
Orange makes us feel energized - hence the number of fast-food restaurants that use it in their decor.

However, Young adds that vibrant, bright yellows can be agitating in a baby's room and make it cry more. And if a yellow contains too much green, it can become nauseating - not to be used in a hospital. Any color that's perceived to be muddy, drab or dull can dampen spirits.

Research and psychology pave the way for leaders to select from a broad spectrum of color. Have you considered how the art and science of color can distinguish your products and attract customers!