The research objective posed for this study is to investigate the effect of warm and cool color hues on arousal, concentration, and visual attention in digital platforms. As evidenced by the research on color perception in the hospitality industry, the focus on color psychology is relatively modest concerning user behavior in digital platforms. This research addresses this gap by conducting two experiments: an online survey focusing on orientation attention and a laboratory experiment with an eye-tracker device employed to examine discovery attention. The findings indicate that cool colors generate more concentration, and warm colors generate more visual attention and arousal. Furthermore, warm colors increase visual attention at the beginning of a temporal passage of time, and cool colors increase visual attention at the end of a temporal passage of time. These findings will benefit digital platforms hosts and marketers, especially in understanding user attraction and enhancing customer experience, as proposed by proper color selection.
AlbonicoAMartelliMBricoloE, et al. (2018) Focusing and orienting spatial attention differently modulate crowding in central and peripheral vision. Journal of Vision18(3): –4.
2.
ArefievaVEggerRYuJ (2021) A machine learning approach to cluster destination image on Instagram. Tourism Management85: 104318.
3.
ArghashiVYukselCA (2022) Interactivity, inspiration, and perceived usefulness! How retailers’ AR-apps improve consumer engagement through flow. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services64: 102756.
4.
BellizziJACrowleyAEHastyRW (1983) The effects of color in store design. Journal of Retailing59(1): 21–45.
5.
BerlyneDE (1960) Conflict, Arousal, and Curiosity. New York: McGraw-Hill.
6.
BjerstedtA (1960) Warm-cool color preferences as potential personality indicators: Preliminary note. Perceptual and Motor Skills10(1): 31–34.
7.
BrosnanKBabakhaniNDolnicarS (2019) I know what you’re going to ask me: Why respondents don’t read survey questions. International Journal of Market Research61(4): 366–379.
8.
CaiRChiCGQ (2020) A recipe for food promotion: Effects of color brightness on food evaluations and behavioral intentions. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management32(12): 3925–3947.
9.
ChebatJCMorrinM (2007) Colors and cultures: Exploring the effects of mall décor on consumer perceptions. Journal of Business Research60(3): 189–196.
10.
ChiMPanMHuangR (2021) Examining the direct and interaction effects of picture color cues and textual cues related to color on accommodation-sharing platform rental purchase. International Journal of Hospitality Management99: 103066.
11.
ChoiJChangYKLeeK, et al. (2016) Effect of perceived warmth on positive judgment. Journal of Consumer Marketing33(4): 235–244.
12.
ClementJAastrupJForsbergSC (2015) Decisive visual saliency and consumers׳ in-store decisions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services22: 187–194.
13.
ConnorCEEgethHEYantisS (2004) Visual attention: Bottom-up versus top-down. Current Biology14(19): R850–R852.
14.
CsikszentmihalyiM (1988) The flow experience and its significance for human psychology. In: CsikszentmihalyiMCsikszentmihalyIS (eds) Optimal Experience: Psychological Studies of Flow in Consciousness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 15–35. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511621956.002
15.
Di MuroFMurrayKB (2012) An arousal regulation explanation of mood effects on consumer choice. Journal of Consumer Research39(3): 574–584.
16.
ElliotAJMaierMA (2014) Color psychology: Effects of perceiving color on psychological functioning in humans. Annual Review of Psychology65: 95–120.
17.
EriksenCWSt. JamesJD (1986) Visual attention within and around the field of focal attention: A zoom lens model. Perception & Psychophysics40(4): 225–240.
18.
EttisSA (2017) Examining the relationships between online store atmospheric color, flow experience and consumer behavior. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services37: 43–55.
19.
GeorgeJMJonesGR (2000) The role of time in theory and theory building. Journal of Management26(4): 657–684.
20.
GhaniJADeshpandeSP (1994) Task characteristics and the experience of optimal flow in human—Computer interaction. The Journal of Psychology128(4): 381–391.
21.
GodovykhMBakerC (2022) Hospitality art: A research note on the main factors affecting attractiveness of visual art in Airbnb settings. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management51: 401–405.
22.
GornGJChattopadhyayASenguptaJ, et al. (2004) Waiting for the web: How screen color affects time perception. Journal of Marketing Research41(2): 215–225.
23.
GrewalDAhlbomCPBeitelspacherL, et al. (2018) In-store mobile phone use and customer shopping behavior: Evidence from the field. Journal of Marketing82(4): 102–126.
24.
HagtvedtHBraselSA (2017) Color saturation increases perceived product size. Journal of Consumer Research44(2): 396–413.
25.
HayesAF (2017) Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression-Based Approach. New York: Guilford Publications.
26.
HongWCHNganHFBYuJ, et al. (2023) Examining cultural differences in Airbnb naming convention and user reception: An eye-tracking study. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing40(6): 475–489.
27.
HsiaoKLChenCCLinKY, et al. (2023) What drives online-to-offline purchase intention in a VR store? An examination of affective and cognitive factors. Quality & Quantity57(4): 3499–3521.
28.
HsiehAYLoSKHwangY (2022) Making customers more likely to come back: The role of background colour in triggering arousal to influence memory, attitude, and patronage intention. Electronic Commerce Research24: 2045–2064.
29.
HuMLinLLiuM, et al. (2023) Images’ features and Airbnb listing price: The mediation effect of visual aesthetic perception. Tourism Review79(5): 1182–1195.
30.
HuangJPengYWanX (2021) The color-flavor incongruency effect in visual search for food labels: An eye-tracking study. Food Quality and Preference88: 104078.
31.
HuddlestonPTBeheBKDriesenerC, et al. (2018) Inside-outside: Using eye-tracking to investigate search-choice processes in the retail environment. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services43: 85–93.
32.
Husić-MehmedovićMOmeragićIBatageljZ, et al. (2017) Seeing is not necessarily liking: Advancing research on package design with eye-tracking. Journal of Business Research80: 145–154.
33.
KayaNEppsHH (2004) Relationship between color and emotion: A study of college students. College Student Journal38(3): 396–405.
34.
KhalilSChatterjeePChengJMS (2023) Red matte and glossy blue: How color and reflectance drive consumer indulgence. European Journal of Marketing57(2): 426–452.
35.
KimDHyunHParkJ (2020) The effect of interior color on customers’ aesthetic perception, emotion, and behavior in the luxury service. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services57: 102252.
36.
KimHHwangYGimJ, et al. (2024) When are vivid hotel photos effective? The moderating effects of resource scarcity and brand level. International Journal of Hospitality Management116: 103617.
37.
KuoPJZhangL (2023) The impact of hotel room colors on affective responses, attitude, and booking intention. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration24(3): 314–334.
38.
KwonJChanKWGuW, et al. (2022) The role of cool versus warm colors in B2B versus B2C firm-generated content for boosting positive eWOM. Industrial Marketing Management104: 212–225.
39.
LadeiraWSantiniFDOJardimWC (2020) Gaze behaviour in front-of-shelf orientation. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management48(2): 186–206.
40.
LadeiraWJRasulTSantiniFDO, et al. (2023) The bright side of disorganization: When surprise generates low-price signals. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services73: 103340.
41.
LadeiraWJBalajiMSRasulT, et al. (2024a) Eye movements in binary food choice context: Assessing the complexity of restaurant menus on virtue vs. vice foods. Tourism Recreation Research: 1–15. 10.1080/02508281.2024.2405952.
42.
LadeiraWJSantiniFDORasulT, et al. (2024b) Stress and fresh-start mindsets promote repatronage intention in loyalty programs. Tourism Recreation Research: 1–14. 10.1080/02508281.2023.2301270.
43.
LadeiraWJAzharMRasulT, et al. (2025) Fresh start mindset and attitudes toward the banks: The mediating role of optimism judgment bias and face arousal. International Journal of Bank Marketing43(4): 803–826.
44.
LemonKNVerhoefPC (2016) Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey. Journal of Marketing80(6): 69–96.
45.
LinglingXHaurKCChuanCH (2008) The effect of background music-induced arousal on online consumer search behavior: Evaluating search performance and experience. Proceedings of the 14th Americas Conference on Information Systems4: 2317–2325.
46.
MaddenTJHewettKRothMS (2000) Managing images in different cultures: A cross-national study of color meanings and preferences. Journal of International Marketing8(4): 90–107.
47.
MehrabianARussellJA (1974) An Approach to Environmental Psychology. Cambridge: MIT Press.
48.
NewhallSM (1941) Warmth and coolness of colors. The Psychological Record4: 198–212.
49.
RaynerK (1998) Eye movements in reading and information processing: 20 years of research. Psychological Bulletin124(3): 372–422.
50.
RoschkHLoureiroSMCBreitsohlJ (2017) Calibrating 30 years of experimental research: A meta-analysis of the atmospheric effects of music, scent, and color. Journal of Retailing93(2): 228–240.
51.
RussellJA (1980) A circumplex model of affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology39(6): 1161–1178.
52.
RussoJE (1978) Eye fixations can save the world: A critical evaluation and a comparison between eye fixations and other information processing methodologies. In: HuntHK (eds) Advances in Consumer Research: Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Conference of the Association for Consumer Research. USA: Association for Consumer Research, 561–570.
53.
SiamionavaKSlevitchLTomasSR (2018) Effects of spatial colors on guests’ perceptions of a hotel room. International Journal of Hospitality Management70: 85–94.
54.
SinghJArnoldTBradyM, et al. (2019) Synergies at the intersection of retailing and organizational frontlines research. Journal of Retailing95(2): 90–93.
55.
SouthertonD (2020) Time, Consumption and the Coordination of Everyday Life. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK.
56.
TeenyJDengXUnnavaHR (2020) The “buzz” behind the buzz matters: Energetic and tense arousal as separate motivations for word of mouth. Journal of Consumer Psychology30(3): 429–446.
57.
ValdezPMehrabianA (1994) Effects of color on emotions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 123(4): 394–409.
58.
WedelMPietersR (2008) Eye tracking for visual marketing. Foundations and Trends® in Marketing1(4): 231–320.
59.
WedelMPietersR (2017) A review of eye-tracking research in marketing. In: MalhotraNK (ed) Review of Marketing Research. UK: Emerald, 123–147. 10.4324/9781351550932-5
60.
WhiteARMartinezLMMartinezLF, et al. (2021) Color in web banner advertising: The influence of analogous and complementary colors on attitude and purchase intention. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications50: 101100.
61.
WoermannNRokkaJ (2015) Timeflow: How consumption practices shape consumers’ temporal experiences. Journal of Consumer Research41(6): 1486–1508.
62.
WuCSChengFFYenDC (2008) The atmospheric factors of online storefront environment design: An empirical experiment in Taiwan. Information & Management45(7): 493–498.
63.
YeHBhattSJeongH, et al. (2020) Red price? Red flag! Eye-tracking reveals how one red price can hurt a retailer. Psychology & Marketing37(7): 928–941.
64.
YuCEXieSYWenJ (2020) Coloring the destination: The role of color psychology on Instagram. Tourism Management80: 104110.
65.
ZhanLChengMZhuJ (2024) Progress on image analytics: Implications for tourism and hospitality research. Tourism Management100: 104798.
66.
ZhangSLeeDSinghPV, et al. (2016) How much is an image worth? An empirical analysis of property’s image aesthetic quality on demand at Airbnb [Paper presentation]. In: International Conference on Interaction Sciences (ICIS).
