Abstract

Purpose: Color induces psychological responses in consumers, and the importance of color in marketing strategies is continuously emphasized. In particular, color can significantly influence consumers' purchasing decisions, even for food products. In this context, this study aims to examine the role of color naming in affecting consumers' product evaluations and purchase intentions for food products, with a focus on how the times of consumption acts as a moderating variable. Research design, data and methodology: This study designed the experiment using the Qualtrics program and recruited a total of 206 participants residing in the Eastern United States through the Amazon Mechanical Turk. Result: The experimental results showed that the ambiguity of color naming had different effects on consumer product evaluation and purchase intention depending on the times of consumption. Specifically, during the daytime, ambiguous color naming led to more positive evaluations and higher purchase intentions for the product, whereas these effects diminished during the nighttime. Conclusions: Considering the time of consumption in marketing strategies is essential for applying color naming effectively.