Monday, July 23, 2012

Does a Red Background on an Auction Bring Higher Bids?


I have always heard that the color red has a psychological effect on a buyer. This is the reasoning behind sale and clearance signs in a store having a red hue. Maybe there is some truth in that since we really love to scout during sales and in the clearance sections.


Does this thinking hold true with online auctions? I recently read an article from ScienceDaily.com that says auctions with red backgrounds get higher bids. The article covered a study by two authors. Rajesh Bagchi of Virginia Tech and Amar Cheema of the University of Virginia wrote this statement in their study that was published in the Journal of Consumer Research: "Red background color induces aggression through a feeling of arousal and it increases aggression relative to blue or gray backgrounds. This causes individuals to make higher bids in auctions but lower offers in negotiations."




Now I am curious! I would like to hear from any of you who may have tried this in your auctions and if you think it made a difference. Feel free to post your comments below.




Related posts:


Are You Using Your eBay Packaging as Advertising?


eBay Business Strategies – 9 Tips for eBay Success


Tips for Selling on eBay – Huge List of Resources






1 comment:

Serena said...

Suzanne, you are the 3rd person I've heard this from. You all probably read the same article - lol!

"This causes individuals to make higher bids in auctions but lower offers in negotiations." I wonder if this means we should use red in our auction listings, but not in our fixed price listings, esp FP listings with best offers?