Role Colour Plays in Influencing Consumer Behaviour

S A R I P A T I Vol. 12 | No. 3 ISSN: 2089-6271 | e-ISSN: 2338-4565 | https://doi.org/10.21632/irjbs

The ability of colours to attract attention has been used for a long time by marketers to gain customer's attention. A product with attractive packaging is bound to lure customers and stand apart from other products kept on the shelf. It has been found in several studies that if there is a mismatch in representation of colour associations the colour becomes an eyesore. Therefore, the present study was conducted to understand the role colour plays in influencing consumer behaviour. For this an online survey form was circulated among respondents to study their colour preferences. It was found that yellow colour was preferred the least and blue the most. There were significant differences in choices made by the two genders. The results indicated that colour influenced customer's decision and brand recall while making purchases. It was also found that there was significant difference among respondents regarding purchase of warm and cool colours as well as warm and neutral colours.

INTRODUCTION
Colour is an integral part of the sensory marketing tactics. It influences consumers' behaviour and perceptions, induces moods and emotions; and helps companies in positioning or differentiating from the competitors. For several years, advertisers have recognized the visual attraction of different colours. Labrecque and Milne (2012) stated that to create an identity in the marketplace brands employed colour and this sets themselves apart from competition. An example of this is Pepsi claiming blue as the colour associated with their brand whereas red is the colour associated with Coca-Cola. For customers, differentiation has been created between the two brands based on these colour associations. Thus, the colour associated with a brand serves as a source of recognition and also reinforces the identity of the brand (Abril et al., 2009). The model of psychological functioning and colour developed by  explained six principles: "colours represent certain significance; colour significance is derived from two foundations: biology and learned associations; colour triggers the assessment of stimuli; in turn, this assessment motivates behaviour; the process from recognizing significance to the motivational behaviour is all non-conscious; and colour evokes varied feelings in different circumstances" (Elliot and Maier, 2007, p.251).
According to research "colours with a longer wavelength-such as red, orange and yellowas warm colours, while those with a shorter wavelength-such as green, blue and violet-are described as cool" (Crowley, 1993, p.60). Usually, warm colours like yellow and red have produced opposite psychological and physiological effects in comparison to cool colours like green and blue, that are on the opposite ends of spectrum of colour (Bellizzi and Hite, 1992). Even though white is normally considered as neutral, it is occasionally credited to the category of cool colours (Chebat and Morrin, 2007). Psychologically, it is thought that emotions are aroused by warm colours for example red, which are also considered to be distracting and exciting while cool colours such as blue are linked to feelings of calmness, peacefulness, relaxation and pleasantness. Similarly, according to physiology, red in comparison to blue colour is considered to be more stimulating in connection with blood pressure, skin-conductance and respiratory rate. (Roschk et al., 2016). Colours often play such an important role because they are associated with buyer's beliefs or cultures. It may be noted that, in place of the colours themselves having an influence on individuals, the symbolic meanings instilled by colours in various cultures, are responsible for observed effects (Chebat and Morrin, 2007). As a variable in the atmosphere, colour describes the visible view of the environment where the goods or services are purchased or consumed (Bellizzi et al., 1983). Similar to a package design, in the retail store design as well, colour is used to draw or to attract the customer along with getting attention (Bellizzi and Hite, 1992). Over a long period, several studies have been performed concerning the psychological and physiological impact of colour. Very few studies have been available with respect to implications for marketing.

Colour and consumer behaviour
In an experimental research Bellizzi and Hite (1992) probed the role of colour in creating the mood which affects the emotional states resulting in vital buyer responses. Two experiments were conducted whereby in experiment 1, a sample of 70 women was subjected to either of two displays (red/blue) and in experiment 2, a sample of 107 students was subjected to slides of interiors of retail furniture with either red or blue interiors. The outcomes of the two experiments clearly showed more positive consumer reactions to blue. Similarly, Crowley (1993) proposed that there were no less than two dimensions within human response to colour. Subjects in this study consisted females with a sample size of hundred and between the ages of eighteen and sixty-four, selected with a non-probability convenience sampling method.
The subjects were assigned at random to one of the four colour conditions which included red, yellow, green and blue. A furniture store setting was used with the colour of the stimulus used as the workable colour of the background, with all aspects of the stimulus except colour kept constant across subjects. A twenty items scale with semantic differential was employed in order to observe the existence of separate components within consumer responses to the stimuli, which was subjected to principal components analysis using the rotation method known as varimax.
"Two dimensional" hypothesis was corroborated by the outcomes of this study. The environment of a retail store in the more extreme wavelength colours i.e. blue and red were perceived as more lively environments. A different dimension for evaluation was also found in ratings of consumers for the store environments, wherein the evaluations became steadily more positive as wavelength "light carried on wavelengths absorbed by the eyes that the brain converts into colours that we see".
Secondly the author studied the effect of colour on various aspects like health, culture, emotions and gender. It was found that different colours had varying effects on the health of the people ranging from red energizing the liver to blue creating calmness and relaxation. Next the author focused on the application of colour in marketing. Because of its influence on human metabolism it was found that the red colour stimulated appetite in restaurants making red a prevalent choice of colour among fast-food restaurants. On further studying the effects of colours it was found that they influenced the rea-

Gender differences in colour perception
In their study, Gollety and Guichard (2011) assessed the role played by colour and its impact on choice of children. The authors carried out an experiment on the children between the ages of 7 and 11.
The outcomes of the study showed that the most commonly liked colours among children were red, blue and purple. It was also found that among preference for flavour and colour there was a difference between the two genders with girls having higher preference for flavours and boys having higher preference for colours. Certain colours were chosen more often by the consumers to express negative associations. Blue and black colours were associated with depression the most frequently; fire and danger with red, fraud and greed with yellow, jealousy with green, death with black, cold with white colour.

Memory associated with colours
Siple and Springer (1983) conducted a study to describe more precisely the nature of memory for information of colour of the object. Results showed that, for brightness and hue, memory and preference were quite precise for the tested objects; nevertheless, all subjects recollected and also preferred every item to be more highly saturated. Contextual change produced no change in accuracy, which suggests that access to memory for colour of the object is independent of texture and shape information. that the meanings addressed to some colours may extend beyond cultural restrictions, while some may be restricted to regional differences. The use of some colours is uniquely culture specific and it is essential to discover the elucidation and influence of a chosen colour in the intended market before the launching of a product or promotion campaign.

Research design
The research design used in the present study was descriptive wherein both primar y and secondary data was collected. Secondary data was collected through various databases like Emerald, ScienceDirect and Taylor & Francis online using keywords like "colour perception", "colour meaning", "colour and behaviour". Primary data was collected through questionnaires.

Sample Selection
An online survey was conducted and the survey form was sent to 250 people using non-probability convenience sampling. Out of 250 people, 225 responded with 90 per cent response rate and these replies were used for further analysis.

Sources of Data
Survey method was employed to collect primary data. A literature review was conducted and utilized to source information, with which to articulate the research questionnaire that consisted of closed ended questions. In order to collect the data, the free survey software Google Forms was used. In the first part of the questionnaire closed ended questions based on 5-point Likert scale were included which ranged from highly disagree to highly agree. The next part of the questionnaire used digital images of a product (given in Figure 1) and Adobe Photoshop was used to digitally alter each image for generation of multiple images where two images were of a warmer hue (yellow, red), three images where the products were of a colder hue (green, blue, pink) and two images which were neutral colour (white, black). There were also similar images of banners with different colours (given in Figure 2).

Tools used for the study
Once questionnaires had been scrutinized for completion and missing information, data were analysed by means of a statistical package SPSS,

Demographic details
The data for demographic questions was analysed and it was found that 56.4 per cent were females and 43.6 per cent were males. Majority (67 per cent) of the respondents were in the age-group of 20 to 30. Most of the respondents were either working (servicemen) or students with 47.6 per cent and 39.6 per cent respectively.

Reliability
The value of Cronbach's alpha was noted to be 0.868, above the standard requirement of 0.7 representing a good amount of reliability (Hair et al., 2010).

Analysis of product colour preference
The most preferred colour among the respondents was blue (31%) and the colour that was selected as least preferred was yellow (3%); this result is in line with previous studies (Bellizzi and Hite, 1992;Tangkijviwat and Shinoda, 2008;Westland and Shin, 2015). It was also found that pink was significantly more preferred by females as compared to males and black was significantly more preferred by males as compared to females. Figure 3 shows the breakdown of colour preferences for product based on gender of the respondent.

Statements Mean Std. Deviation Colour Preferences
Colour can improve comprehension 3.82 .91 Colour tends to make marketing materials (ads, promotions etc.) more readable than black and white 4.06 1.09 Colour helps to remember more easily for longer time 4.19 .97 A colour of a product provides pleasure to me 3.60 1.07 I relish seeing displays of products that are colourful 3.95 .99 Sometimes the colour of a product seems to reach out and seize me 3.76 1.03 When in an environment with cool colours (blue, green, purple), I have a feeling of calmness and relaxation 3.80 1.02 Presence of colours like red, yellow, orange creates an environment of warmth and energy 3.84 .94 I enjoy eating at a restaurant with cool colours (like blue, green or purple) 3.38 1.21 Colour of a product seeks my attention 3.83 1.02 Purchase Decision Colour is prime reason to buy a particular product 3.27 1.27 When the colour of a product appeals, I feel a strong urge to purchase it 3.75 1.13 When I see a new store or restaurant with striking colours, I usually enter it 3.40 1.10

Brand Recall
Colour can increase ability to recognize brands 4.00 .97 Being able to differentiate between product/brand colours reduces search time 3.86 .98 Colour is a good way to distinguish one brand from another 3.64 1.13 When I see a new or different colour brand, I often pick it up to see what it is like 3.74 1.01 While buying an unfamiliar brand its colour helps me in making the decision 3.30 1.23 Source: Survey by authors Table 2. Descriptive Statistics

Analysis of banner colour preference
The most preferred colour for banner that was chosen was red (24%) and the colour that was selected as least preferred was yellow (4%). It was found that warm colours (red, pink, orange) were more preferred by females whereas cool colours (green, blue) were more preferred by males. Figure   4 shows the breakdown of colour preferences for banner based on gender of the respondent.

Influence of colour on consumer's purchase decision and brand recall
Pearson's correlation was applied in order to find whether relationship existed between colour preferences, purchase decision and brand recall.
It was found that significant relationship existed between all three variables. As significant correlation existed, further regression analysis was employed to find the influence of colour on purchase decisions.
The results suggested that there was significant as well as driver of satisfaction once the item has been received (Nitse et al., 2004). suggested that colour assists in brand recall (Percy and Rossiter, 1983;Tavassoli and Han, 2002). Hence, hypothesis H 3 was accepted.

Influence of different colours on consumer's purchase intentions
ANOVA was applied on the purchase intention of customers for different colour groups (warm, cool and neutral).   colours. This may be due to the fact that there is a high contrast in the warm and cool colours as well as warm and neutral colours due to the high difference in wavelengths. On the other hand, the difference is much lesser in neutral and cool colours which may have resulted in no significant difference for purchase intention between these two colours.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The results of present research show that colour plays a significant role in consumer's choice of products. This fact was observed in previous studies as well, where the colour of a product, promotional material or retail environment influenced customer's behaviour to a large extent. Through this study, it was found that the colour most preferred was blue and the least preferred was yellow among both males and females. For choice of banner (an advertising material) also the results were same with blue being the most preferred (although red was also a close choice) and yellow being the least preferred. These differences may be due to the opposing nature of the two colours with warm colours used for arousal and cool colours used for creating a calming effect (Grossman and Wisenblit, 1999). Another factor that affects colour associations is the situation or the environment for example, in 1956 Kreitler found that there was a disliking for the yellow colour because of its linkage with the yellow patch worn by Nazis. However, on repeating the experiment was in 1960 on the next generation the people reported a liking for the yellow colour because it depicted rebirth (Kreitler and Kreitler, 1972 (Chebat and Morrin, 2007).

MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS
This study has several implications for marketers.
Firstly, marketers should consider the colour of packaging, their product's colour and all colours that are related to the product during advertising, as part of market strategy of their products. The present study recommends that with the development of effective methods for the collection of data, information regarding consumer's personal colour preferences could help in modifying products offerings that could in turn enhance the possibility of increase in sales. Lastly, use of a contrasting colour could be an asset for better distinguishability on the shelves, only if the colour is suitable for the concerned category of product.

CONCLUSION
Although colour literature is vast, theories of colour in marketing are not yet advanced. There have been several studies to give meanings and associations to colours (Aslam, 2006;Kauppinen-Räisänen and Luomala, 2010). These studies mainly focused on symbolic meanings and associations of colours in different cultures, but what really is required is to understand meanings of colours as a vital part of logos, packages, services, products and displays besides understanding individual differences in colour preferences. The use of colours differs based on gender along with the effect of attitude and attractiveness towards colour on choice which is significantly higher for female consumers as compared to male consumers (Funk and Ndubisi, 2006). This study too found certain differences in customer's colour preferences with pink being more preferred by females and blue being preferred by males although overall blue was the most preferred colour. This result can be attributed to the fact that hue preferences of females shifted to longer wavelengths (warmer colours) when compared with those of males (Hurlbert and Ling, 2007). Thus, the first hypothesis was also accepted.
This study further utilized correlation and regression analysis in order to find whether colour influences consumer's product decisions and it was found that colour has a significant impact on their decision making which led to the acceptance of the second hypothesis. It is a powerful cue for creation and sustenance of corporate identities (Garber et al., 2000) and for brand and product differentiation (Schmitt and Pan, 1994) and consumer perceptions (Grossman and Wisenblit, 1999). Colour indicates the attributes of a product. For example, the colour of food affects the propensity of consumers to correctly detect flavour and other sources of flavour information are dominated by it, including taste and labelling (Garber et al., 2000). It implies that alteration in the food colour could affect consumer preferences. Colour is instrumental in appealing consumer attention to advertisements. As found in a study by Lee and Barnes (1989) that there was correlation between the product, colour of print advertisements as well as the product and type of magazine and there were variances in the usage of colour. Another important finding of the study was that colour influences brand recall. Thus, third hypothesis was accepted. Gatorade, Apple, M&Ms have used this characteristic of colour regarding brand recall in an effective manner by the launch of novel coloured product lines (Garber et al., 2000), while Pepsi has tried forming new colour associations by choosing blue as its colour after leaving the conventional red colour associated with cold drinks (Grossman and Wisenblit, 1999). Lastly, it was also found that consumer's purchase intention differed significantly for warm and cool colours as well as warm and neutral colours but there was no significant difference in purchase intention for neutral and cool colours. Thus, the fourth hypothesis was partially accepted as there was acceptance for first two parts of this hypothesis.