What are consumers? What is consumer behavior?

What are consumers? What is consumer behavior?

What are consumers? What is consumer behavior? How to distinguish between consumers and customers?

What are consumers?

Consumers are individuals and households that use products/services with the main purpose of serving and satisfying their consumption needs (consumption, consumption...).

What is a consumer?

Example cases where the character is a consumer:

  • Ms. Jean uses a hair dryer to serve her daily needs.
  • Mr. Dean bought a car to serve his travel needs.
  • Susan bought Iphone to communicate, take pictures and entertain.

Example non-consumer character cases:

  • Ms. Jean bought a hair dryer but it was for the spa salon (to dry hair for customers).
  • Mr. Dean bought a car to serve the company's customers.
  • Ms. Nancy bought 10 kg of pork to make sausages.

Differentiate consumers from customers

Consumers

Consumers

Customers

Customers

Consumers are those who acquire products/services to serve personal needs. Customers are individuals/organizations that carry out the process of purchasing a product/service (contact, order, sign a contract, pay).

Thus, in some cases, consumers of brand A are also customers of that brand:

  • Susan bought an Asus laptop to serve her word processing and entertainment work.
  • Mr. Jack bought a motorbike to serve his travel needs from home to the company.

In some cases, the same product but the consumer and the customer are 2 different people:

  • Bob was bought a new bicycle by his mother: So in this case, the consumer is Bob, and the customer is Bob's mother.

What is consumer behavior?

Consumer behavior is a term that refers to the factors related to the feelings, actions, habits, and decisions of consumers throughout the process from the moment the need is formed and catalyzed leading to to the purchase decision, to and after using the product/service.

In Marketing, consumer behavior can be viewed as a sub-discipline of the discipline, where researchers have developed a large number of principles and theories related to consumer behavior.

Understanding consumer behavior will help businesses gain "insight" - a better understanding of their needs, wants, feelings, thoughts, and habits, thereby helping businesses can develop products/services that can better serve consumers, and advertising and communication campaigns that can reach audiences more effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The term 'consumers' refers to individuals and households who buy goods and services for their personal use.
Consumer behavior refers to the actions and decisions made by consumers when purchasing goods and services.
Factors that influence consumer behavior include personal preferences, cultural and social factors, psychological factors, and economic factors.
Understanding consumer behavior is important for businesses because it helps them develop effective marketing strategies, improve products and services, and build customer loyalty.
Businesses can use consumer behavior research to identify consumer needs and preferences, target specific consumer segments, and develop effective marketing campaigns.