How to Use Color Psychology to Boost Ecommerce Conversions

As far as animals go, humans have great color vision.

And psychologically, the colors of things have a profound effect on how we experience and conceptualize them.

Color psychology, the study of how our minds relate to color, is fertile ground for smart marketers looking to get an edge in the marketplace.

The right color scheme can help you cultivate the right attitudes toward your brand.

The wrong one, however, could end up feeling jarring or out of place.

If you're running an ecommerce store, you'll need to chose colors for your website and your visual branding materials.

The type of product you're selling will be a big part of what determines which colors “feel right” for your brand.

For example, a bright, angry-looking shade of red might feel “off” for a store that sells yoga accessories, with a brand image focused on tranquility.

A soft green, however, might be perfect.

In a recent post at Quicksprout, Neil Patel explains how you can use color psychology, along with color wheel concepts like complementarity, to create the perfect color scheme for any online store.

Apply color psychology

All decisions, including purchasing decisions, are emotional.

And that is why colors are so impactful when it comes to getting people to take action.

Colors evoke emotions.

Think about it.

It’s why you’d wear a red outfit if you want to be a show stopper. That’s what red does.

[image source: Quicksprout]

If you entered a room and the dominant color was black, you’d feel a sense of sophistication and luxury. That’s the response that black evokes.

[image source: Quicksprout]

Why do we associate emotions with colors?

It’s part of our conditioning.

And it’s not just emotions. Concepts, actions, and qualities are all evoked from visual cues such as color.

That’s great news for your business. Consider the colors known to evoke the feelings you want your customers to have.

Want to come across as trustworthy and dependable? Consider blue.

Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter all use this color for a reason.

Have you ever noticed there’s also an abundance of blue in the financial industry?

It’s the color of security and trustworthiness, which is what you want people to feel when you’re handling their money.

PayPal uses it.

[image source: Quicksprout]

So does Citigroup.

[image source: Quicksprout]

And many others like Goldman Sachs.

[image source: Quicksprout]

That’s just one example where color is used to bring out a desired emotion.

Here are the feelings other colors evoke (both positive and negative):

[image source: Quicksprout]

And some more …

[image source: Quicksprout]

Note: This is theoretical information.

The truth is, color psychology is more nuanced than that.

Other variables need to be considered, which I’ll explore in the following points.

Step #1: Choose a core color.

This will serve as your base.

It will be the color you use the most. I recommend one that reflects the feeling you want to evoke in your customers.

For instance, Quick Sprout’s core color is green.

[image source: Quicksprout]

Step #2: Choose a color complementary to your core color.

Your secondary color should be something that contrasts well with your base.

A good rule of thumb is to select a color opposite of your dominant color on a color wheel.

[image source: Quicksprout]

It’s important that you use the wheel.

Why?

Many people assume that because two colors are different from each other, they contrast each other well.

That’s not the case.

The color wheel is a perfect representation of the relationship between primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.

When you use it, you’re relying on the proven principles of color theory to determine the right contrast.

Step #3: Choose a color that pops against the other two.

Finally, you need an accent color.

This is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle.

Why?

Your pop color is what you’ll use for your calls to action.

I highly recommend you use it only when you want your web visitors to take a particular action.

It can be to sign up for a lead magnet, purchase a product, or click on a link.

This way, you condition your web visitors to act when they see your accent color.

Map all the touchpoints on your website that lead your prospects down your sales funnel.

These are the points where you want to use this color.

Let’s look at Ramit Sethi’s blog as an example.

Yellow is, of course, his accent color.

[image source: Quicksprout]

What’s more insightful is how he uses it.

Every call to action is yellow.

Here’s a call to read more of his content:

[image source: Quicksprout]

He asks users to enroll in one of his courses:

[image source: Quicksprout]

If you have a problem or questions, he clues you in to speak to live support:

[image source: Quicksprout]

It’s a very subtle visual cue to encourage people to act.

And I bet it works exceptionally well.

How do you choose your accent color?

Let’s go back to the wheel. Since you’re using three colors in your scheme, you want to form a triad within the color wheel.

[image source: Quicksprout]

Your first two colors will represent the first two points of the triangle.

And your accent color is the last connecting point.

What if you want to use more than three colors?

It’s the same principle. Instead of a triangle, form a square or rectangle within your color wheel.

Most brands use 2-3 colors.