Stay Well-Read on Red Reactions

The color red usually heightens purchasing and consumption. Reds create excitement associated with fast movement and enhanced appetite. In a McDonald's, red means you eat more quickly, leaving space sooner for the next customer. In a Target store, red means you pile your purchases into the cart more quickly.
     But red also can make us slow down. After all, when you see a stop sign or a red light on the traffic signal at a busy intersection, you stop. The red raises alertness. Even if you don’t stop, you’ll probably drive through the intersection with more attention than you would otherwise exercise.
     Our reaction to red is built into our brain physiology. It’s subconscious. In fact, if a consumer begins to think consciously about it, the excitement and alertness fade. Researchers at University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, University of British Columbia, and University of Amsterdam say the stop or go response to red also depends on the degree of “sensation seeking,” which is a stable personality characteristic of people. Some of your shoppers are attracted to bright lights and the bigger city. In sets of studies at Stanford University, MIT, and University of Pennsylvania, these high sensation seekers were more likely to select “a refreshing peppermint blend” over “a relaxing blend of chamomile and mint,” the bottle of “Pure Excitement” water labeled in bright orange over the “Pure Calm” one labeled in green, and the more upbeat version of the song “Such Great Heights.”
     As you’d probably expect, high sensation seekers when compared to the calmness contingent are, on average, younger and focused on the future. However, as you might not expect, high sensation seekers are more likely than low-sensation seekers to react to the color red by resisting sales pressure and the temptation to buy.
     Continue to use red to stimulate purchasing. But with younger consumers, be ready to react to the shopper’s pushback:

• When you see resistance developing, physically step away from the shopper for a brief time. Whenever possible, move to a less crowded shopping area or an area in which there is a large selection of products. 
• Verbally step back by softening the rhetoric. Researchers at University of Illinois and University of Louisiana found more resistance when using phrasing like, “It’s impossible to deny all the evidence that the TMX-890 is the only choice for you,” than with, “Purchasing the TMX-890 makes the best sense for you.” 

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

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