The Impact of the Cold‐Colored Ambience on Nudging Healthy Food Preferences

ABSTRACT Ambient color temperature is one of the most important factors in retail environments. However, scant research has examined the effect of cold versus warm ambient colors in retail environments on consumers' food choices. This research reveals an unexplored association named the “cold ambient color = healthy” intuition and its influence on consumers' healthy food preference. Across six studies, including one field experiment, we demonstrate that consumers have developed the “cold ambient color = healthy” intuition, such that they infer that a food outlet with a cold‐colored (vs. warm‐colored) ambience is more likely to specialize in healthy food. Moreover, the activated healthiness perception guides consumers' food choices. We find that using a cold ambient color increases consumers' choice of and spending on healthy food. Our work contributes to the literature on color psychology and food preferences and offers valuable insights into healthy diet promotion for food outlet retailers and public policymakers.