It is a proven fact that color evokes emotion and can influence people. Color is everywhere and is especially powerful in branding and web design, and if you know how to use it, it can drastically increase sales on your site.

The best colors to increase sales are red and blue. Green, orange, black, and white all have the potential to increase sales as well when used in certain situations. Designers that use bright colors correctly can send a clear message and increase sales.

Designing a marketable website is not easy, especially when using color can make or break your profits. Understanding what color to use and where is an invaluable tool for people looking to boost sales.

Color Psychology in Marketing

Color sends a message, one that words have a hard time competing with. Take roadway systems, for example. Traffic lights use colors that influence our decisions. Red warns of the danger of oncoming cars if we continue, yellow advises us to continue with caution, and green signals we can safely be on our way. Construction work signs are orange, the color of warning, speed limit signs are white with bold black lettering that contrasts to catch our eye. Society uses color in so many ways like these because it works.

Let’s take a look at what color can do to us physically and emotionally. When you understand the language and implications of colors, you will understand how to use them in your web design.

Red

 

The color red can physically cause our pulse to quicken, dilating our blood vessels and filling us with adrenaline. This increased blood flow can increase appetite, arousal, sense of danger and can even make us feel like time is passing faster than it is. Red also relates to urgency, action, and authority.

Think of what happens when you see someone blush red in the face, it could be that they are angry and are ready to fight. It could be that they have made eye contact with someone they’re attracted to. They could be hot, embarrassed, or upset.

When we have increased adrenaline, we are more likely to act. For-sale signs on someone’s lawn are red. Some examples of brands that use alot of red for this purpose are RE/MAX & Keller Williams Realty

Advertisements that demand quick action for a large reward, like TV advertisements, are often red and sometimes have a white background to make that red stand out even more.

Passionate perfume bottles are red and make the liquid inside seem to have a more intense color chasing that intimate arousal side of the color.

 Increased appetite from the color red is why many restaurants and food brands use red hues in their graphics, ads, and branding. We can see this in brands like KFC, Chick-Fil-A, Arby’s.

Blue

 

Blue is calming, dependable, and reputable. When we see blue, our heart rate slows, we feel soothed, calm, and feel like we are in good hands. People are more likely to shop longer and less urgently when they are in a store with blue interiors. A great example of this is Old Navy that uses blue all over the interior of its large stores.

Police, hospitals, and workplaces often use blue as a way of instilling a sense of calm.

Blue can help us unwind. This is why people are drawn to the tranquility of the vast ocean or a bright blue sky? These help you feel calm and start to relax. It is one of the reasons why people feel calm at the beach. Because they are surrounded by blue skies and blue waters, they are calm and relaxed.

When it comes to sales and marketing, be careful and deliberate with your use of blue. Too much blue can come off as cold and uncaring, so use it wisely.

Brighter hues have come to be associated with innovation and advances in technology. Sci-Fi movies often use blue to portray futuristic technology.

Blue is modern and clean, and it adds a sense of trust and reliability.

Other brands that use blue include Skype, IKEA, and Lowes.

Green

 

Green is fresh and calming. Being in a green environment actually relaxes the retina and has a tranquilizing effect.

Green is the most powerful color to use for any website that is associated with the environment or appeals to those who are environmentally conscious like healthy eating, conservation, animals, natural innovation, yoga, etc.,

“Buy Now” buttons that are green act much like a green light at intersections, since people associate green with permission and moving forward.

Brands that use green include Whole Foods, Starbucks, and Animal Planet.

Orange

 

 

 

Orange creates enthusiasm and vitalizes the people who see it. It is attention-catching and nearly impossible to miss, which is one of the reasons why traffic cones and traffic warning signs are bright orange. The color makes them easy to see, even when the weather is bad and during the night when it is dark.

Orange makes people feel adventurous and warm. In color psychology, it means adventure, optimism, self-confidence, and sociability. Physiologically, orange vitalizes, inspires, and creates enthusiasm.

Psychologically, in business applications, orange can give the impression of approachability, depending on the shade chosen and its combination with other colors. Some great examples of businesses that use orange and fit this category are Amazon, Payless, and Dunkin Donuts.

Yellow

 

The color yellow reminds us of the sun and makes people feel cheerful and warm. Yellow is a”happy” color that stimulates people’s minds. In marketing, it represents optimism and youthfulness and influences younger children and unhappy adults to approach much like orange.

Yellow is uplifting and illuminating and offers hope, happiness, cheerfulness, and fun. The color makes us think of sunshine and flowers, which makes us happy, calm, and warm.

Brands that use yellow include Cheerios, Lipton, and Hertz.

Pink

 

Pink is a color that is traditionally associated with girls, compassion, nurturing, love, and romance.

So where do you see pink in marketing areas? As stated previously traditionally, companies that want to be associated with romance and intimacy use pink in their marketing. So pink is rarely used by fast food companies in their advertisements, but brands like Barbie, Hello Kitty, Cosmopolitan, and Victoria’s Secret use pink frequently.

But as a bright color that stands out, modern brands like T-Mobile & Lyft have used pink to pop out from their competition.

White

 

 

In business, white means cleanliness and hygiene. Hospitals often use white in their marketing. However, if white is used too much within marketing, it can make a business feel cold and disinteresting, which can be seen in hospitals too.

White also implies modernity, neutrality, premium, and independence.

Brands that use white include Nike, Apple, and Uber.

Popular Websites That Use Color to Increase Sales

Amazon.com

When we think of a successful website that has made a name for itself, we often go straight to Amazon. This company has professionals trained in how to make as many sales as possible because that is how they get their money. How does Amazon use color to increase sales?

Energetic and youthful yellow and orange dominate the majority of a product page when on the Amazon site, but if you look closely, you can see that most prices are slashed through and replaced with bright red lettering with a “limited time offer sale” price.

The red adds urgency and excitement about the fact that this particular product is on sale. In fact, all prices and discounts on the page are in red lettering, intended to catch your eye and desire to purchase. The red color of the listed price makes customers feel like they have to rush to buy the product, especially because they typically do not know when the sale ends, and the price increases.

Amazon uses blue on all product links to signal that it is a trusted brand, and their “check out” buttons are orange, which causes the customer to become excited about their purchase. The black and white color scheme helps them seem professional and trustworthy as well.

ebay.com

Having a colorful logo like the one eBay uses sends a very specific message that you might not even think about until you examine it more closely. Google uses multicolored lettering to show that they are a multifaceted search company, eBay does the same, but to indicate the wide variety of products they sell.

eBay uses red and blue in a classical way on their product page. Their “Buy Now” button is blue, indicating calm and certainty in the purchase. The blue button makes customers feel calmer when checking out like they can trust that their money will not be stolen, and their transaction will safely go through without any issues. Links to financing options and seller profiles are also blue, showing that they can be trusted as well.

Like Amazon, eBay uses red lettering to signal that the product you are viewing is on sale at a reduced price. This catches the customer’s attention.

Another color psychology technique that they use is to add in bold, bright letters at the top of the page that many other people are currently viewing the same item and that in order to get it, you need to act fast.

If you click through the different categories of the eBay site, you will find that each tends to have a theme reflecting what message that item sends. For example, the motor parts section is yellow, signally youth and adventure, the electronics section is purple implying that it is an expensive and exclusive product akin to royalty, the business tab is blue to indicate professionalism.

Apple.com

Apple uses a slightly different, but still effective, approach when it comes to color psychology with its marketing. Minimalistic black and white dominate their branding with splashes of color to add interest.

Apple is a fashion technology company, and its elite brand is very important to maintaining popularity and sales. To do this, it uses colors like white to exude purity and cleanliness and black for luxury, exclusivity, and sophistication. But just like the other websites that you spend money on, Apple too uses color theory in its page design. You can spot blue in the “Buy” buttons and links that would have you spend more money on a warranty or product add-on.

This company is keenly aware of the impact that red has to catch your eye and uses it only once or twice per product page. Because of the importance it places on marketing and brand development, Apple releases a newly updated product each year. These are highly anticipated by their regular buyers. To highlight and emphasize new products, Apple highlights the new release in red.

Examples of Color Psychology in Popular Brands

Every brand uses color theory and psychology in its branding. How they implement it is typically seen in what their signs look like, and what colors they use when displaying the company’s name. For example:

McDonald’s has yellow, red, and white on all of their signs and throughout the inside of the restaurants. The entrance of their drive-thru is painted bright yellow, which makes you happy as you enter the line. Their iconic “M” is yellow, and the name of the restaurant is white with a red background. The yellow makes people think that they will feel happy when they are at the restaurant and eating their food, and the red makes people feel hungrier, which influences customers to spend more money while at the restaurant. Many of their employees wear grey uniform shirts. However, the managers wear black uniform shirts.

Walmart uses blue and yellow in almost all of its advertising. The Walmart sign outside of each store is blue with white lettering. However, when you get to the actual Walmart building, many stores are painted blue, have “Walmart” written in white, but have the yellow sun-like insignia next to the name. They do this to make people feel calm and happy while shopping at the store.

Victoria’s Secret uses pink, black, and white in its signs and marketing. Pink is the predominant color and makes people feel romance and feelings of love. This influences people to love the brand and the clothing that it sells.