Colour, Cost, and Cues: How Visual Heuristics and Environmental Concern Shape Sustainable Purchase Decisions

This research investigates how visual cues (colour), economic signals (price), and informational cues (sustainability labels) interact to shape consumer perceptions and purchasing decisions in the context of sustainable fashion. Using an experimental design with 81 participants, the study examines how individuals make trade-offs between aesthetics, cost, and ethics when choosing between apparel products. The research situates itself within the broader challenge of ethical consumption, where consumers often express pro-environmental values but fail to act on them when confronted with competing visual or financial incentives.

Through a randomized online experiment featuring 40 product-choice trials, participants evaluated fashion items that varied systematically by colour (earthy vs. neon), price (cheap vs. expensive), and presence or absence of sustainability labels. Results demonstrate that visual heuristics strongly shape perceptions: earthy colours were consistently perceived as more sustainable than neon ones, even in the absence of factual sustainability information. Price also played a major role, with cheaper products preferred when sustainability information was absent. However, when eco-labels were present, participants were willing to choose more expensive options, indicating that informational cues can partially override cost sensitivity.

The findings reveal a dual-process decision pattern. While consumers rely heavily on intuitive visual shortcuts such as colour when making rapid judgments, explicit sustainability information can shift preferences—especially among individuals with higher environmental concern. Contrary to expectations, sustainability labels reinforced rather than corrected colour-based assumptions, suggesting that congruence between visual and informational cues strengthens eco-perceptions. Demographic factors such as age, gender, income, and education had limited influence, while environmental concern emerged as the strongest predictor of sustainable choice. Overall, the study highlights that sustainable fashion communication is most effective when visual design and ethical messaging align, offering valuable insights for brands seeking to encourage environmentally responsible consumption without relying solely on moral appeals.