Chinese consumers do not always respond to red: The influence of colors on perceived distance, spaciousness, and purchase intention of Chinese consumers

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Dan Zhao¹  Fengwei Guan² 

[1] College of Humanities, Jilin Agricultural University;Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

关键词: Colors (C);    perceived distance;    Perceived spaciousness;    purchase intention (PI);    implicit association test (IAT);    Retail design;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1028425

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Many international firms hold a common stereotype about Chinese consumers' color preference: culturally, red is their favorite color. However, many international firms (e.g., P&G, Ford, and Wal-Mart) do not use red as their theme colors when they run business in the Chinese market. To explain this interesting phenomenon, this study conducted three experiments to reveal less culture-laden influences of colors on people by examining the mediating effects of perceived spaciousness between colors and purchase intention. The results show that blue walls of a room make the room look more spacious than red ones and eventually increase consumers' purchase intention. The perceived spaciousness is caused by the fact blue objects are perceived more distant than red ones. The findings indicate that culturally favorable color may not always be the most effective tool to increase consumers' purchase intention. Hence, international firms should be extremely cautious when selection a theme color in foreign markets.

【 授权许可】

CC BY