Psychology of Colors in eCommerce Branding

"Color is a power which directly influences the soul." - Wassily Kandinsky, a famous Russian painter, and art theorist. Do you agree? We do.

Colors have always appealed greatly to our visual senses. These are frequently used as a marketing tool. Brand color psychology is an exciting topic in eCommerce branding. It's fascinating how different colors stimulate the brain in ways that promote tranquility or excitement.

The colors you use in your Shopify store design can significantly impact your target audience. This is because colors play a vital role in how people perceive brands. In this blog, you'll learn about the psychology of colors, its paramount importance in marketing, and some valuable tips to skyrocket your profits using the same.

But before diving into the psychology part, let's brush up on our knowledge of colors.

Types of colors in eCommerce branding

There are three major types of colors, as mentioned below:

Primary

There are three primary colors in the color wheel - Red, Blue, and Yellow.

Secondary

Two primary colors, when mixed, make a secondary color. For example, Orange (Red+Yellow), Green (Blue+Yellow), and Violet (Red+Blue) are examples of secondary colors.

Tertiary

These are formed by mixing one primary and one secondary color: Red-Orange, Yellow-Orange, Yellow-Green, Blue-Green, Blue-Violet, and Red-Violet.

The Color Theory vividly describes this through a color wheel that illustrates various colors and their potential combinations. However, some color wheels show more intermediate than in the image below.

While warm colors may spark various emotions, including comfort, warmth, hostility, or anger, cool colors may spark tranquility or sadness. Let's study them in detail now.

Color psychology

We humans are wired to notice patterns, whether it’s in behavior, visuals, or even colors. That brings us to a curious question: Does the color of a product really influence our decision to buy it? Or better yet, does the color of the packaging push us to pick one brand over the other?

Short answer: Absolutely, yes!

But here’s where it gets interesting (and a bit tricky): Why? Why do we gravitate toward that soft pastel bottle over the loud neon one? Why does black packaging scream “luxury,” while green feels “natural”? The answer lies in a fascinating area of study called color psychology.

What is it?

Color psychology digs into how different shades and hues affect human emotions and behavior, often without us even realizing it. It explains why we associate blue with trust, red with urgency or excitement, green with health and nature, and black with sophistication or luxury. These color cues sneakily influence how we perceive a brand, what we feel about a product, and even whether we’ll put it in our shopping cart (virtual or not).

For example, a vibrant yellow lotion bottle might feel fun and energetic, perfect for a summer skincare line. On the other hand, a sleek, minimalist white packaging, suddenly feels clinical, pure, maybe even high-end. Same product inside, totally different vibe outside. That’s the power of color.

Brands use this psychological trickery intentionally. They know that our brains are constantly making snap judgments based on visual signals, and color plays a starring role in that. Whether it’s to communicate safety, luxury, fun, eco-friendliness, or innovation - color helps brands speak to us before we’ve read a single word.

So the next time you're drawn to a product at first glance, ask yourself - is it really love at first sight, or is that clever packaging color just doing its job really well?

Spoiler alert: it's probably both.

How do colors influence people?

Colors influence people by tapping into their emotions, memories, and subconscious associations. For instance, warm colors like red and orange can create a sense of urgency or excitement, while cool tones like blue and green evoke calmness, trust, or freshness. Without saying a word, colors silently shape our mood, perceptions, and even the choices we make, especially when it comes to products and brands.

Red color psychology

• Red color tends to increase the appetite. Hence, it is often used by food chains for eCommerce branding.

• It creates a sense of urgency, which is why it is frequently used for clearance sales.

• It is high in energy and immediately pulls focus.

• It stimulates the human body, affecting heart rate, blood pressure, and nerve impulses.

• Famous brands that use red color: YouTube, Coca-Cola, Puma

Blue color psychology

• The blue color promotes a sense of trust and security in the brands.

• Unlike red, it curbs appetite and offers feelings of calmness and a sense of tranquility and space.

• It is most commonly used in offices and conservative corporate brands.

• Young people, however, associate this color with maturity.

• Famous brands that use blue color: Facebook, Oral B, PayPal, Intel

Green color psychology

• The green color is associated with nature and money.

• It is often used for promoting environmental issues.

• It stimulates harmony in the brain, and thus, many Shopify store designs use green to relax customers.

• Famous brands that use green color: John Deere, Starbucks, Spotify, Lacoste

Purple color psychology

• The purple color resonates with royalty, luxury, wisdom, respect, and spirituality. However, using it excessively may come across as arrogant.

• It represents the brands as creative, imaginative, and wise.

• Purple color is often used for beauty and anti-aging products.

• Famous brands that use purple color: Cipla, Yahoo, Cadbury

Orange & yellow color psychology

• These colors increase cheerfulness and optimism.

• These are great color choices to draw in impulsive buyers and window shoppers.

• These stimulate the logic center of the brain and promote enthusiasm.

• Famous brands that use these colors: Fanta, Ferrari, McDonald’s

Perhaps now you have a clearer view of how the psychology of color works. There's another short list of colors with their associated meanings below. However, the purpose of the colors may vary for individuals depending on upbringing, location, gender, culture, values, and a variety of other factors.

Black: Sophistication, prestige, power

Blue: Calmness, productivity, trust

Green: Relaxation, positivity, trust

Orange: Warmth, enthusiasm, ambition

Pink: Kindness, warmth, love

Purple: Wealth, royalty, status

Red: Love, danger, passion, energy

Yellow: Happiness, youthfulness, cheerfulness

Brown: Earth, nature, simplicity

White: Peace, purity, clarity

Some psychological tips on using colors for your brand/shopify store design

• The best way to capture the audience's attention is to use contrast.

• Use warm colors to attract more buyers.

• Use red color in CTA buttons on your website.

• If you want your target audience to like your product, try using cool colors like blue or bright colors like white and grey.

• Choose a color scheme that creates a contrast between the product and the background.

• Adjust vibrancy to achieve different effects.

• Triadic colors are the best for highlighting your products.

• Blue is a universal color preferred both by males and females.

• Bright color schemes are a better idea.

Importance of color psychology

Color isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s a powerful communication tool that plays a crucial role in eCommerce branding. The colors you choose represent your brand’s values and essence, subtly conveying who you are and what you stand for to your target audience. A well-thought-out color scheme can express your brand's personality, whether it’s bold and energetic, calm and trustworthy, or natural and sustainable.

When chosen thoughtfully, colors help your brand connect emotionally with consumers, making it more memorable and appealing. They also create visual consistency, which builds recognition over time.

For example, when someone mentions a clown dressed in red and yellow, what pops into your head almost instantly? McDonald’s! That’s the power of strategic color use in eCommerce branding. It sticks. It speaks. It sells. In a crowded market, your color palette can be the silent ambassador that sets you apart, so choose wisely!

The bottom line

Ultimately, various brands have to apply the psychology of color in eCommerce branding and marketing themselves to attract customers. This is because different colors affect human emotions in different ways. However, there are a few tips that do the work. Words can't stress enough the importance of color psychology in marketing.

And so, it's time that you start exploring various color schemes and fine-tune them per your audience's needs. For this, you may need to hire a professional agency that offers Shopify store design services. Contact us at Nivara Commerce if you want to build an eCommerce brand.