A consumer is a person or group who intends to order, or use purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household, and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. In an economy, a consumer buys goods or services primarily for consumption and not for resale or for commercial purposes. Consumers pay some amount of money (or equivalent) for goods or services, then consume (use up) . The law primarily uses a notion of the consumer in relation to consumer protection laws, and the definition of consumer is often restricted to living persons (not corporations or businesses) and excludes commercial users.

A customer is a person or organization that purchases goods or services. They may or may not consume them. The terms "customer" and "consumer" are often used interchangeably, but there exists a slight difference. Consumers are defined as individuals or businesses that consume or use goods and services. Customers are the economys purchasers who buy goods and services. They can exist as consumers.

Examples of a consumer include a person who pays a hairdresser to cut and style their hair, a company that buys a printer for company use, a parent who buys their child new shoes, and an individual purchasing a new TV.