Content
- Customer characteristics
- Consumer characteristics
- Objective of companies in front of their customers and consumers
Although reference is frequently made to a consumer with the same designation as a clientSince they both purchase a product or service, there is a main difference between one and the other.
On the one hand, a consumer is the person who makes a purchase or acquires a service, whether in a local, through the internet, by telephone or any other means, without being faithful to the brand or the company. A customer is one who has taken as a consumer habit to make purchases or acquire a service in a certain store or of a certain brand.
Customer characteristics
Generally, the customer enjoys the purchase or consumption of the product or service because over time they have built a relationship of loyalty and loyalty with the brand. Businesses often get to know customers, allowing them to direct their efforts and attention to keeping them satisfied.
- For exampleIf we shop regularly at a supermarket, we have and use your card that accumulates points and benefits, we are considered customers of that supermarket. The same goes for banks or clothing brands.
- For exampleWhen a mother always buys the same brand of diapers for her child, the mother will be the customer, even if she is not the final consumer of the product. Companies will have to target their efforts to keep both of them satisfied.
Consumer characteristics
Consumers are often anonymous and purchase a product or service out of necessity. When choosing, consumers are governed by economic parameters, geographic proximity or by being in a certain place or specific situation.
- For exampleIf we are in the street, it starts to rain and we find an umbrella store, we will buy that product without paying too much attention to the price, brand or quality of it, since we do not want to get wet.
- For exampleWe are consumers when we need cash immediately and we go to a bank no matter what its name is, or have ever used its services. The use of the occasional service does not make us customers.
Objective of companies in front of their customers and consumers
Companies are betting on creating customers, rather than having a market full of consumers, since the latter can vary in their consumption modes and be erratic in their purchasing behavior. It is for this reason that the goal of every company is to transform consumers into customers.
Companies orient marketing messages and strategies towards loyalty and propose special offers or benefits specifically for this purpose.
The development of technologies makes customers are exposed to different types of similar products. Companies must increase their efforts to keep their customers satisfied, both with the quality of the product or service, as well as with the attention, and in the best of cases, make them recommend the product or service to friends and acquaintances.
Although the use of an occasional service does not turn the consumer into a customer, it is important that the company strives to provide good service and resolve consumer questions or queries. Social networks and face-to-face or telephone assistance as a direct communication channel with the company are opportunities to bring services or products closer to the consumer and transform them into a potential customer.
- It can serve you: Small, medium and large companies
