Ever hear of something called "color psychology"? It's an aspect of marketing and branding your products that you can use right in your store – and it doesn't necessarily have to scream your brand, either. Instead, you can use color psychology subtly to make your customers more comfortable, and increase your sales.
Using color psychology in your decor and displays
You can actually "construct" the interior of your store with color as one major component that will have a positive influence on your customers and actually make them want to come often, stay longer, and shop more.
Color can be used much more subtly but just as effectively as other design features like lighting fixtures, carpeting, retail store displays or furniture to make your customers feel welcome and attracted to what you have to sell. In order to truly attract the crowd you want, though, the crowd that's going to be interested in what you have to offer them, you have to choose just the right colors. You may be surprised at what comes up. Take a look.
What's your target market or audience?
Who makes up the biggest segment of your customer population? Women, men, children? Business people, medical professionals, artistic types? "Construct" the color scheme of your store's interior so that it caters to your general audience, specific to your particular niche:
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For the creative or artistic retail store
What's your central focus? Are you a gift shop, artist's haven, or florist, for example? If you focus on the creative and artistic in your business, choose colors for retail store displays and the interior that make unusual combinations. Magenta, purple, plum, or navy, for example, can be paired in a very esthetically pleasing, avant garde way with yellow, light blue, or pink. Experiment. You are the wise soul that came up with your business concept to begin with, so you'll know the right color combination when you see it.
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For fashion or beauty
For this market, "gentler" colors work well, like corals, pale turquoise, light purple, softer greens and blues, pinks, or pastels. If you're running a predominantly male-focused establishment, focus on retail store displays and interiors with darker blues and grays.
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For clothing
This blends a little bit into the above-mentioned fashion market, as well, but particularly for men, again, focus on blues. You can mix the shades of blue with other colors like brighter greens or even a bit of red in accessories like ties in retail displays, for a visually interesting and esthetically pleasing environment.
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For toys
Focus on bright primary and softer pastels. The kids will be drawn to primary colors, and the adults will like the pastels. Combine pastels and bright primary colors throughout retail store displays with careful attention to a bright, pleasing, visually interesting look that is active and bright, not jarring.
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For home goods
Home goods like furniture should generally be presented in an upscale, genteel environment. Therefore, more muted colors like beiges, browns, tans and some off white mixed with splashes of color used as accents near particular furniture displays will give your customers a pleasant shopping experience where they don't feel rushed and can actually sit down and try out the furniture before they buy.
"Color psychology" is big in advertising, to be sure – but it can also help you boost sales within your retail store itself, just with some subtle manipulation of color schemes. Choose yours based on both your product and customer niche; you'll make your customers more comfortable in your store and give them a much more pleasant shopping experience.
