Hue Do You Trust? The Impact of Colour Psychology on Emotional Associations, Brand Recall and Consumer Behaviour Among Young Indian Consumers

Sharon James; Dr. Nithya K

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i02.71907

Hue Do You Trust? The Impact of Colour Psychology on Emotional Associations, Brand Recall and Consumer Behaviour Among Young Indian Consumers

Author(s)	Ms. Sharon James, Dr. Nithya K
Country	India
Abstract	The study explores the role of colour psychology in brand recognition, emotional associations, and consumer purchase intentions among Indian consumers aged 18-35. The research analyses colour-emotion associations, cultural moderation effects, and colour-based brand recall performance through a cross-sectional survey design. Results show emotion-colour pairs: red with passion and danger, blue with calmness and trust, green overwhelmingly with nature, and yellow with happiness. Brand recall by colour cue alone had exceptional success rates (81.9-95.3%) confirming that colour is the standalone memory cue of choice, confirming its effectiveness as a brand recall trigger. Purchase intention was statistically significantly associated with colour awareness, and regression analyses indicated that colour awareness is the main predictor, accounting for a large amount of variance. There were no significant confounding factors for prosperity colour associations, suggesting that prosperity colours are more consistent along pan-Indian lines — in a cultural context in yellow/gold. Yet the relationship between colour appropriateness and purchase intention among Modern Urban Indian consumers appeared to be significantly stronger than among Traditional or Mixed segment. Interestingly, self-reported colour memory capacity did not correlate with actual recall performance, suggesting a metacognitive gap. This demonstrates colour as one of the key strategic components of brand identity in consumer markets, which might also hold important implications in terms of colour-concerned, aesthetic-driven buyers in the target consumer markets. The study also provides data on colour psychology in the Indian context, however it draws more attention to subtle cultural nuances in colour-brand relations.
Keywords	colour psychology, brand recognition, consumer behaviour, emotional associations
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 2, March-April 2026
Published On	2026-03-19
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i02.71907

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Hue Do You Trust? The Impact of Colour Psychology on Emotional Associations, Brand Recall and Consumer Behaviour Among Young Indian Consumers

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