Michael Kelly Mort Kondracke Ch. Although it may sometimes seem so, no part of the shopping experience happens by accident. Seducing with smell. It's no fluke that bakery and flower departments often tickle your senses just as you enter the store. That's about 10 to 15 percent higher than the markup for packaged goods.
Color is an especially powerful lure.
Researchers at the Institute for Color Research say it influences up to 80 percent of all purchase decisions. According to the institute's Jean Luck, yellow is usually the first color the eye sees, and it's used to grab attention on the cereal aisle. Black implies elegance and is popular on products whose makers seek an upscale image. Red can increase your blood pressure and suggests that a product is on sale. Orange conveys affordability and is used on packages of detergent, which compete by price.