The importance of color goes back to when we all were children. Teachers spend a great deal of time teaching their students to match colors with their appropriate name. But while some of us feel that we learn a lot of useless information throughout our education, those pre-school teachers might have been onto something. There is a whole psychology to the attitudes and emotions using the right colors can evoke. In fact, studies have shown that colors actually can affect human behavior. As a business owner, if this is in fact true, we want to know one important thing when it comes to color. Which color makes shoppers purchase products? While it isn’t about using one specific color, using color schemes right can greatly benefit your business.
Make or Break in 90 Seconds
Ultimately, there has not been a great deal of research to prove that color can in fact urge a customer to buy your product, but the psychology of color does prove some very valid points. Think about the first time you sign onto a webpage. The human brain takes around 90 seconds to form an opinion about a product. While timing it out, 90 seconds may feel like an eternity, it actually leaves companies with a limited time frame in which they can prove themselves to a customer. So what do you think would make the most impact? All logic would lead to the color scheme of your web design. Because realistically the first thing that our eyes are drawn to is color. Borders, backgrounds, pop-ups, graphics, buttons, they can all be planned out strategically to, not only complement one another in their color, but to actually speak to your customers.
Stay Within the Lines
Just like we are taught the rules of coloring on paper at a young age, there are rules to using color right when it comes to web design. Audience is important. If you are selling a product that is aimed at children, you will want to use fun and bright colors. But if you are selling a product that is aimed at senior citizens, a more calming and peaceful color would seem to make sense. Men and women also react differently to color. While women are drawn to colors like purple, blue, and green, men prefer colors such as black, green, and blue. Remember, using color the right way, for the right purpose, and appealing to the right audience can boost your influx of customers. So what color is right for my business?
Peace, Fun, and Luxury
A common color that seems to be well liked amongst the general population when it comes to shopping or doing business is blue. Blue emits trust, peacefulness, calm, and, as a customer, we want to enjoy shopping and trust the company we are buying from. It is no wonder a lot of the big businesses such as Facebook, PayPal, and Capital One use blue at the forefront of their websites. What does a customer need to have more faith in than their bank? But not all businesses need to send this same message. Yellow sends the message of fun and friendly, and is a great color for businesses like bouncy house sales, children’s arcades, or the local outdoor amusement center. Green is usually seen in businesses that relate to the outdoors or strive to protect the environment. Orange is the color of impulse. Many companies save orange for special sales where they can create banners that send messages such as “limited time offer” or “while supplies last.” You may also notice companies like Amazon use orange in their “add to cart” button.” This creates a sense of urgency for shoppers. The psychology of the color black is actually one that portrays luxury. While black can sometimes get a bad rap for being too dark, in the business world black means classy, expensive, sought after. So depending on what type of client or customer you are trying to draw in, using the right color can actually sink your sale.
Don’t Send Them into Color Overload
Although color is very important when trying to catch the eye of the consumer, too many colors or an overload on the presence of color can actually cause confusion for your customers. Although some may argue that white is not a color, it can actually be very beneficial in this instance. Not only does white allow other colors to stick out and catch your eye, it creates a balance that the brain might need at some point. It’s no wonder Google saves white for their complete background. They are one of the top search engines for some reason!
Do your research before agreeing to a color scheme. When talking to your web designer, make sure you talk about the audience of your product, the purpose of your company, and who you want to attract to your business. Mention the fact that color scheme is important. In the end, it might be the difference between whether or not your visitors actually purchase your product.
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