Colors and Intensities Combination on Purchasing Intention in Relaxing Services: A Virtual Reality Experimental Research

Abstract

Abstract

            The growth of the service business such as spa, resort, and health club indicates the increase in customers’ interest in the relaxing service business.  Color is one of the most visualized physical evidences that could help customers perceive the relaxing atmosphere embedded in the service.  Although the influence of colors on emotion led behavior has been previously studied, there are various dimensions of colors to be further investigated.  One of the questions is whether the combination of different colors and intensities of colors could have any impact on inducing the behavioral intention of consumers.

            This study investigates the behavioral intention to use the relaxing service due to the designated combination of colors and different levels of intensity. The research objectives are to discover how the combination of colors and intensities can affect consumer purchase intention in the relaxing service business and what combination of colors or intensities can make the most impact on their decisions.

            The data collection starts with the pilot test by asking 110 subjects to choose the colors that they think represent relaxing services. Blue and green are selected then the intensities (chromas) are applied to the two colors using low and high quartiles of the intensity.  An experimental research is designed by using the virtual reality (VR) camera as the contact method to collect the data from the randomly chosen subjects whom repeatedly do the experiment twice with a two-month interval to assure the reliability of the study.  Six treatments (color and intensity combinations of blue and green) are randomly assigned to 180 randomly chosen subjects. Subjects then give the scores for the six treatments that they see in the VRs to indicate their intention to use the service. The data are then analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques.

            The results reveal that while the combination of relaxing colors (blue and green) has significantly worsen customer’s purchasing intention for the relaxing service, the combination of intensities do not have impact on the intention.  It is suggested that the relaxing service business should apply the same color rather than using different colors to induce consumers’ purchasing intention.  

            The research findings enhance better understanding of the combination of colors on purchasing intention in the context of relaxing service.  The results could create interest especially among the interior designers and the management of the service business.