Customer and Consumer

A customer is a person or business that purchases some goods or services from another company. There are cases where people or businesses purchase goods in bulk from any wholesale outlets and sell them in their retail outlets. In this case, the person who buys goods from the wholesaler becomes a customer as he/she is not consuming the goods instead it’s been re-sold to the public.

A consumer is a person who buys or consumes goods. A consumer is a person who purchases an item or a service for personal use based on personal tastes, beliefs, and wants, as well as advertising influence. a customer can be a consumer as when the customer buys any good and if the good is consumed, the person will be called a consumer, not a customer.

These terms are used hundreds of times every day in the business sector, and they are frequently interchanged. There are times when a client and a consumer are the same individuals, for example, when a person buys products for personal use. However, they are not the same thing; they have distinct meanings, therefore read the article to learn the difference.

Difference Between Customer and Consumer

1. Meaning

The goods or services which are being purchased from the shops are known as a customer. Here the goods are not consumed by the person who purchases the goods and is referred to as a customer.

The goods or services which are used or being consumed by the person are called a consumer. The end-user of the product is referred to as a consumer and a customer can also be a consumer if he/she consumes the same.

2. Resell

A customer can resell the products which are being purchased and a customer can be a business entity that can purchase goods for resale purposes.

A consumer is not in a position to resell as the goods are being used by the consumers themselves.

3. Purchase of Goods

It is necessary to purchase goods to become a customer. whereas, a consumer doesn’t need to purchase the goods.

A customer can be a consumer if he/she consumes the same. Whereas, the consumer can or cannot be a customer. it’s not necessary that a consumer must be a customer before.

4. Purpose

The purpose of the customer is resale or consumption.

The purpose of a consumer is to consume the goods or services.

 5. Price of Product or Service

In the concept of the customer, the price of the goods or services is paid by the customer.

The consumer may not pay for the price of goods or services.

Types of Customers

1. Final Customers

These are the people who buy and utilise the products and services that are offered on the market. The purchase should always be made with the purpose of self-consumption in mind. When a product reaches the hands of its final clients, it completes its life cycle. The items are not purchased to resell them for a profit.

2. Resell Customers

These are people who purchase a thing to resell it. This group includes retailers, wholesalers, trade customers, and manufacturers.

Types of Consumers

1. Discrete type

Consumers in this category all use a distinct purchasing method. They are considering spending a significant amount of money on a few specific goods that they enjoy. Jewellery, cosmetics, and clothing, for example. To balance things out, they’ll cut back on expenditure in other areas.

2. Inferior goods type

Consumers in this group are on a strict budget and must monitor all of their spendings. Their financial situation is precarious. Individuals consume the items essential for survival as a result.

3. Commercial type

Consumers in this group are motivated by the desire to buy in quantity. The items may or may not be utilised for commercial reasons, although bulk purchases are almost always made.

4. Extrovert type

Consumers in this sector exhibit a strong preference for branded goods. These are the most devoted customers who do not switch brands frequently. They generally wait for the goods to come back in stock rather than purchasing a new brand’s product if it is out of stock on the market.

Conclusion

We have discussed the difference between a customer and a consumer and we can say that a customer is not always a consumer. Nowadays, the important topic which is being discussed by the businesses is to focus on customers or to focus on the consumers. Businesses must focus on both because the consumer is the one who would be consuming the good or experiencing the good who will further advertise them and help the product to get more reach and more customers could come forward to buy. Here the purchase decision is taken by both the customers as well as the consumers. As a result, we can conclude that the businesses must focus on both.