When it comes to developing a website that generates sales, it takes more than just words and images to stir up emotion and help persuade consumers to purchase products. This is where colour psychology comes in. A simple thing like colour can create a positive or negative user experience. It can greatly influences how we organize, identify and interpret sensory information in order to form an understanding of our environment. In fact, nearly 40% of visitors may not return to a website if they don’t like the appearance.

If you look at popular brands, you’ll see that colour schemes, the style of the website and the logo are all linked with each other. Those things affect our mood, develop our perception about things, and subconsciously convince us whether or not to take action. That’s why established brands put a lot of emphasis and a great deal of thought on the choice of colour they use to market their products and services. So, what can you do to improve conversions on your website?

Recognizing the impact colour psychology can have on marketing and branding, Design Advisor has put together the following infographic. It explores the ways in which colour — when used wisely — can drive conversion rate optimization for your website.

40 facts about how psychology of colours can help boost your website conversions

• A product assessment takes 90 seconds and between 62% and 90% of this judgement is based on colour alone.
• Colour impression is responsible for 60% of the acceptance or rejection of a product and 80% of brand recognition.
• For 84.7% of consumers, colour is the main reason for buying a particular product.
• 2/3 of consumers will not buy a large appliance unless it comes in their preferred colour.

As a marketing expert, a few years ago Heinz changed the colour of their signature ketchup from red to green and sold over 10 million bottles in the following 7 months, which led to US$23 million in sales. This was the highest sales increase in the brand’s history.

Shoppers and colours

When trying to convert impulse buyers, use colours such as Royal Blue, Black, Red-Orange. They’re commonly used in clearance sales, outlet malls and fast food establishments. For shoppers on a budget, colours like Navy-Blue and Teal work best. Banks and larger department stores typically use these. For traditional buyers, however, Pink, Rose, or Sky-Blue colour psychology works best, which are mostly found in clothing stores.

Preferences by gender

Women prefer softer colours and are more receptive to tints. Blues, violets and greens are most liked, while greys, browns and orange are disliked.

Men, on the other hand, prefer bold colours and are more likely to select shades of colours. Blues, greens and blacks are more liked over browns, orange and violet colours.

Colour psychology and brands

Red: Life, excitement, boldness

• Red increases the heart rate and creates urgency, that’s why it’s used in clearance sales.
• It’s the most emotional colour.

Blue: Productivity, tranquility, trust

• The most commonly used colour in today’s websites and branding.
• Banks and businesses use it to communicate security to clients.
• Blue is favoured by 57% of men and 35% of women.

Green: Growth, nature, harmony

• Frequently used to help customers relax.

Orange: Ambition, enthusiasm, confidence

• Great for calls to action (CTA) like sell, buy, or subscribe.
• Web colour orange, defined as #FFA500, is the only named colour defined in CSS that’s not also defined in HTML 4.01

Black: Authority, power, elegance

• The most popular choice for marketing luxury products.

White/silver: Perfection

• White in advertising is associated with coolness and cleanliness.

Purple: Wealth, power, royalty

• Purple is most often found in anti-aging and beauty products.

Yellow: Joy, energy, intellect

• Yellow is often associated with food.
• It’s used by brands to evoke cheerful feelings.

Colours and website conversions

Having poor website navigation and a poor overall design are the top reasons why online shoppers choose not to purchase from a particular website. 93% find the visual as the number one influencing factor affecting their purchasing decision. 42% of shoppers base their opinion of a website on overall design. And 52% won’t return to a website because of the overall aesthetics.

Call-to-action button colours

• Having a CTA leads to a 6.5% increased add-to-cart rate.
• CTAs boost overall conversion rates by 9%.
• 13.5% drive conversion rate increases in mobile users.

In practice, Red, Orange and Green are the best colours for conversions, but only if they stand out.

---

Source: https://designadvisor.net/blog/psychology-of-colors-infographic/