What’s the difference between a consumer and a customer?

Ever wondered what the difference is between a consumer and a customer? Here’s my take on things:

Consumers use things—they consume goods, products, and services in a money-for-value-obtained exchange. Think gasoline, milk, insurance, movie tickets, groceries, cars, batteries, clothing, and so on. Whenever you buy one of these things, you’re a consumer. You’re in hunter gatherer mode.

Customers buy from you, or from your competitors, because they know you, like you, and trust you (or because they know, like, and trust your competitors MORE than they do you). Customers buy from you based on their familiarity, on their emotional responses to you and your goods, and because they like what you stand for, or because they aspire to be like other people that have bought from you.

So it’s the job of your marketing to ensure that needs are met, that expectations are exceeded, and that minds are read so that your goods, services, and products meet unmet needs, thereby placing you and the solutions you offer first in a given category and front and centre in people’s minds.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
The Direct Response Marketing Guy™