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UNDERSTANDING COLOR IN RETAIL: 3 Ways to Attract Consumers The influence of color on our daily choices is undeniable. Understanding the role and importance of color in the world of consumers and how color is shaping the future of brands and packaging helps us to better understand, attract, and connect to our ideal customers. To understand the use of color in retail, we need to know how the retail experience impacts the consumer and how the current spectrum of color came into being. In the past, fewer products and packaging types meant there were fewer colors to play with on the packaging. As competition steadily increased, there was an eruption of brands, resulting in availability of wide range of similar products in each category. The competition for brand identification expanded the color palette, bringing more colors to the retail store. Below, we’ve outlined three ways to ensure the colors used in packaging are relevant to consumers.
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GLOBAL RETAIL BRANDS / MAY 2021
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Maintain consistent color and identity Each shade resonates with consumers at a unique level. In the world of branding, the use of color improves brand recognition and customers make a subconscious assessment about brands within 90-seconds of initial viewing. International brands such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi & Cadbury have made their mark in the industry by maintaining a consistent brand color throughout all the brand marketing collateral, from logo to OOH advertisements. According to a survey conducted by Reboot, color increases brand recognition by 80%, which is reciprocated by many influential brands. In the instance of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, both brands produce the same product. But only when
the product is packaged under the respective brand color, consumers automatically recall the brand. Brand recognition retains the memory in brain and subconsciously that brand now becomes a personal preference when a customer is making a repeat purchase.
2
Adapt to geographical locations and culture 85% of grocery shoppers cite color as their primary reason for buying a particular product; therefore brands must follow their color palette to maintain a consistent brand perception. Color is the cue that is used by the brain to help identify and make predictions about the products such as taste and flavor. Color creates a psychological expectation or associates a particular flavor with a specific packaging color.
