In today’s highly competitive world, a product’s appearance is just as important as its quality. One of the key elements of appearance is color—not just any color, but one that stays consistent. In fact, “stable color” plays an important role in earning customer trust and influencing their final purchase decision. When a customer sees a product whose color doesn’t change after a few washes or uses, it builds a greater sense of trust and satisfaction. This, in turn, directly impacts sales.
In this article, we explore the critical role of color stabilizers across various industries and their direct link to increasing sales. From color psychology to modern color stabilization technologies, we’ll uncover how color stability can become a powerful marketing tool.
Color: The Primary Factor in Purchase Decisions
Psychological studies show that color influences a customer’s purchasing decision in less than 90 seconds. In fact, over 60% of consumers base their first impression of a product on its color. This effect is even more pronounced in the packaging of food and beverages.
The first thing the human eye perceives when encountering a product is its color. If the color is appealing and harmonious, it captures the customer’s attention and registers in their mind as a high-quality item.
Color in Food: Aesthetic or Quality?
In food, color goes beyond beauty. When a customer sees a red drink labeled as strawberry-flavored, they expect a specific taste. A mismatch between color and flavor leads to dissatisfaction and decreased sales. Color stability is critical here—not just for attractiveness, but for matching the visual and taste experience.
What Is Color Stability?
Color stability refers to a color’s ability to maintain its original appearance over time, under temperature, light, and storage conditions. Unstable colors may fade or change over time. This instability can be perceived as a sign of spoilage, poor quality, or even fraud. Customers seek stable natural colors, which in their minds are equivalent to health and honesty.
What Are Food Color Stabilizers?
Color stabilizers are substances that prevent the color from changing or disappearing over time. These additives help products maintain their color under various storage conditions (refrigeration, light, heat). Stabilizers can be natural or synthetic.
Types of Color Stabilizers
- Natural: Substances like citric acid, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), plant-based oils, or plant extracts that act as antioxidants.
- Synthetic: Approved chemical compounds such as EDTA or sorbates, which offer more precise control over color stability.
Natural vs Artificial Colors in Attracting Customers
Natural color in food is associated with health, honesty, and quality. Customers tend to prefer brands that use natural coloring. On the other hand, artificial colors, although brighter and more resistant, may cause distrust or concern. Choosing between the two depends on the brand’s strategy and target market.
The Impact of Color on Packaging Appeal
Packaging with stable, attractive, and vibrant colors not only makes the product stand out but also signals to the customer that the product is fresh, high-quality, and trustworthy. Stable color in packaging ensures that even after sitting on the store shelf for a long time, the product still looks like day one.
The Role of Color Stabilizers in Beverages
Beverages are especially vulnerable to light and oxidation, making color stability even more important. Color stabilizers for drinks prevent cloudiness, sedimentation, or color change. The color of a beverage can make or break the customer’s experience.
Food Additives for Color Stability
Many manufacturers use food additives to maintain the product’s appearance. These typically include antioxidants and preservatives listed among approved food colorants. Timely and precise use of these additives extends the product’s shelf life.
The Importance of Natural Color in Food Packaging
Natural color in packaging signals a commitment to environmental responsibility and consumer health. Brands that use plant-based and natural dyes attract more attention from the younger generation of consumers. Moreover, natural colors align better with brands that claim to be organic.
Color Marketing: How Stable Color Increases Sales
In marketing, a product’s consistent appearance indicates its quality. Stable color boosts trust in the brand and encourages repeat purchases.
Creating a Lasting Visual Experience for the Customer
When customers consistently see the same original color every time they look at a product, it creates a sense of stability and brand loyalty. This lasting visual memory increases the chances of repeat purchases.
Boosting Trust and Perceived Quality
Colors that don’t fade or change over time signal the use of high-quality materials. To the customer, this equates to a reliable brand.
Challenges of Unstable Colors in the Market
While cheap raw materials may seem attractive, using unstable colors can cause irreparable damage to the brand, such as:
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Customer dissatisfaction and reduced sales
Color changes shortly after purchase are a major cause of complaints. This dissatisfaction leads to negative feedback, product returns, and declining sales.
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Economic losses for brands
Brands that suffer from complaints or lose market share due to poor color quality must invest heavily to regain customer trust, whether through advertising or redesigning the product.
Enhancing Product Visual Appeal with Stable Color
In visual marketing, color is foundational. A stable color can:
• Make products look fresher
• Create distinction
• Communicate brand messages
• Evoke specific emotions (e.g., red for energy, yellow for happiness, green for health)
The Role of Color in Increasing Product Sales
According to studies by Food Marketing Trends magazine, stable colors in packaging and product appearance can influence up to 23% increase in sales. Customers show more loyalty to consistency. Color becomes part of the brand identity, just like Coca-Cola is known for red and Nescafé for brown.
Know more: Visual Quality of Beverages: How to Improve It?
Factors Affecting Color Stability in the Food Industry
Several factors play a role in preserving the color of food products:
- pH: The acidity level of food significantly affects color stability.
- Oxidation: Exposure to air degrades color.
- Light: Direct sunlight or store lighting causes color degradation.
- Packaging Type: Light-proof and well-sealed packaging helps preserve color.
- Product Formulation: Adding stabilizing compounds to the original formulation increases color longevity.
Read on: Why Has the Color Blue Become Popular in Beverages?
Color in Food Marketing
Color plays a role not just in appearance but also in advertising campaigns. Using consistent colors across the product, packaging, and both online and offline advertisements conveys a sense of coherence and professionalism for the brand.
The Grownida Brand Experience in Using Stable Color
The Grownida Innovation Center, with a focus on developing healthy and long-lasting food products, uses natural colorants and stabilizers. Their goal is to strike a balance between aesthetics, stability, and consumer health. This approach has led to increased customer trust, higher sales, and greater visibility of the brand in a competitive market.
One of this center’s products is the WINNOVENT color stabilizer, which, by interfering in the reactions related to the degradation of Brilliant Blue and neutralizing its contributing factors, plays a significant role in maintaining the stability of this color in beverages.
WINNOVENT Color Stabilizer
The main cause of color degradation in soft drinks and fruit juices is exposure to sunlight. According to experiments, factors such as carbonating beverages with carbon dioxide or adding fruit concentrate can significantly increase color fading when exposed to sunlight.
Brilliant Blue is one of the widely used colors in the food industry, including beverages, canned vegetables, confections, and other products. It belongs to the triarylmethane dye group, in which three benzene rings surround a central atom. Brilliant Blue typically breaks down under UV radiation, oxidizing radicals (such as hydrogen peroxide, Fenton’s reagent, potassium persulfate, potassium periodate, and potassium bromate), high pH, and high temperatures. Upon losing its sulfonate group, it undergoes a color change.
More Info: Winnovent Color Stabilizer
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Key Benefits of the WINNOVENT Color Stabilizer
Increases the product’s color longevity under sunlight by up to 10 times
Prevents the formation of carcinogenic compounds resulting from color degradation
Enhances beverage quality and extends shelf life
Easy to use
Since Brilliant Blue is considered an indicator of photodegradation, WINNOVENT can also be used to improve the light resistance of other food-grade colorants.
Know more: Brilliant Blue Food Coloring and Its Unique Features
Conclusion
In today’s market, color is no longer just a visual feature; it has become the language of the brand. Stable color reflects consistent quality, brand loyalty, and respect for the consumer. Smart use of color stabilizers not only boosts sales but also gives the brand a lasting and sustainable identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does color influence customer attraction?
Color is the first visual factor in customer decision-making and conveys a sense of quality, freshness, and trust.
How does stable color increase sales?
Stable color allows for the repetition of a positive shopping experience and builds customer loyalty.
What is a food color stabilizer?
It’s an additive that prevents color changes in the product against light, heat, and time.
Is natural coloring better in food?
Natural coloring conveys a stronger sense of health and quality to customers and is more suitable for health-oriented brands.
Why is color stability in packaging important?
Color stability maintains the product’s beauty and appeal over time and boosts customer confidence.
