You probably will have heard this one before: the color differences of packages will impact sales. But did you ever consider where that idea came from? And whether it is true?
After a long search, insights4print.ceo found the source of that claim, but it’s a different story: the research is on color versus no color, not on tiny tolerances. Indeed, the use of color versus no color (so: black/white) impacts brand recognition and sales. But there are no studies showing that tiny tolerances (like 2 to 4 dE00) would impact sales.
In a recent study on LinkedIn, with over 6000 people – all consumers! – having viewed the question, it becomes clear that ‘exact’ brand color reproduction is not on their minds. A large majority of the people who were shown the test considered it not even worthwhile to participate. In total, 98,6% chose not to participate. And from those that did, almost half said they either noticed a color deviation larger than 2 dE00 but would still buy the cookies, or didn’t even care about the color, as long as the cookies tasted good.
With this test in mind, there is no proof at all that a color difference over 2 dE00 will impact sales. We need to focus on the tolerances in the applicable ISO standards. These are within reach of skilled printers with decent equipment, and they won’t affect sales. The 2 dE00 myth was pushed by color consultants and vendors trying to sell their services and products.
Read all about this, including many other tests and references in this article on insights4print.ceo!