The Effect of Red Product Packaging on Purchase Intention: The Moderating Role of Regulatory Focus
Keywords:
red color, prevention focus, promotion focus, avoidance behavior, approach behavior, arousal, packagingAbstract
This paper examines how red color affects consumer behavior through a series of three studies. The current research attempts to make clear specification on how red can elicit two different behaviors (avoidance and approach) by the indirect moderating role of self-regulatory focus. An investigation of the underlying process will attempt to reveal that arousal mediates the relationship between red color and purchase likelihood (behavior). When the product package is red, prevention focused consumers are likely to induce negative emotional arousal associating it with anger, danger and error. Prevention focused people will subsequently avoid from red packages and show lower willingness to make a purchase. But prevention focused consumers are likely to induce positive emotional arousal associating it with love, excitement and warmth. They will subsequently approach to red packages and show higher willingness to make a purchase. By the findings of the research, we can show how color can affect marketing outcome variables such as purchase intent if we design the product color considering customers’ motivational goals and help them feel right.
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