A consumer is an individual or group who purchases goods or services for personal use, acting as the final user in the economic distribution chain. While often confused with a "customer"—the person who buys a product—the consumer is specifically the one who ultimately uses it, a distinction important in both legal and business contexts.
Consumers are the engine of any capitalist economy. Their demand for goods and services is the primary motivation for producers to create and innovate. Without this consumption, the entire economic cycle would stall.
Beyond just purchasing, consumer preferences directly shape market dynamics and trends. Businesses compete to meet these evolving needs, leading to better products and services. This influence extends from product design to marketing strategies, placing the consumer at the center of business.
Modern consumer behavior is rapidly evolving, driven by technological advancements and a shift in societal values. Consumers are no longer passive recipients but active participants in the marketplace, shaping how businesses operate. This has led to several key trends that define the current landscape.
While the terms are often used interchangeably, key distinctions determine business strategy.
Consumers are protected by a set of fundamental rights that ensure fair and safe transactions in the marketplace. These rights are balanced by responsibilities that empower consumers to make informed decisions and act ethically. This dual framework fosters a healthier, more transparent economic environment.
Technology, particularly the internet and mobile devices, has fundamentally reshaped the consumer landscape. It has empowered individuals with unprecedented access to information and a greater voice in the marketplace. This digital shift has created new habits and expectations that businesses must now navigate.
How does a B2B company identify its end consumer?
B2B firms identify consumers by studying their client's end-users. This involves analyzing market data and user feedback to understand who ultimately uses the product or service, which helps refine their offerings and marketing to better support their immediate customer's success.
Isn't focusing on the customer more profitable than the consumer?
Not always. While the customer makes the purchase, consumer satisfaction drives long-term loyalty and repeat business. Neglecting the end-user's experience risks churn, making a consumer-centric view crucial for sustainable profitability and brand strength in competitive markets.
How has the role of the consumer changed with digital marketing?
Consumers have evolved from passive buyers to active "prosumers." They co-create value through reviews and social media, directly shaping brand perception and product development. This shift demands that businesses engage in constant dialogue and respond to real-time feedback to stay relevant.
An account is a company or organization that you're targeting for sales. It can be a prospective, current, or even a past customer.
Learn about B2B sales channels, including types of B2B sales channels, strategies for effective channel selection, & integrating technology in B2B sales.
A Letter of Intent (LOI) is a document declaring the preliminary commitment of one party to do business with another, outlining the chief terms.
Sales automation uses software to streamline and automate repetitive, manual sales tasks, freeing up reps to focus on selling.
The marketing mix is the set of marketing tools a company uses to sell products, defined by the 4Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.
Site retargeting is a marketing strategy that shows ads to people who have previously visited your website but left without converting.
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud-based model where users subscribe to an application and access it over the internet.
Warm outbound is a sales strategy for contacting prospects who've shown interest in your brand through prior engagement, like website visits.
A Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) API is a web service that uses XML to exchange structured information between different applications.
A Unique Selling Point (USP) is the distinct feature or benefit that sets your product, service, or brand apart from the competition.
Sales training is the process of honing a salesperson's skills and knowledge to enhance their effectiveness and drive sales success.
Guided selling simplifies complex sales by giving reps step-by-step instructions and data-driven recommendations to close deals faster.
Predictive lead scoring uses AI to analyze data and rank leads by their likelihood to convert, helping sales teams prioritize their efforts.
Accounts Payable (AP) is the money a company owes its suppliers for goods or services bought on credit. It's listed as a current liability.
GPCTBA/C&I is a sales qualification framework for understanding a prospect's goals, plans, challenges, timeline, budget, and authority.
Multi-touch attribution is a marketing analytics method that credits multiple touchpoints on the customer journey for a conversion.
A sales playbook is a guide that outlines your sales process, best practices, and tools to help reps sell more efficiently and consistently.
Learn about buyer, including identifying your ideal buyer, understanding buyer's journey, & evaluating buyer decision processes.
Sales enablement technology refers to software and tools that equip sales teams with the resources they need to close more deals efficiently.
Learn about BANT framework, including implementing BANT in sales strategy, advantages of the BANT methodology, & BANT vs. other qualification models.
Digital contracts are legally binding agreements created, signed, and stored electronically, offering a faster, more secure alternative to paper.
Price optimization is the process of finding the ideal price for a product or service to maximize profitability or other business objectives.
Sales pipeline reporting is the process of analyzing sales data to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and forecast future revenue.
Personalization is the practice of using data to tailor products, services, or content to an individual's specific needs and preferences.
Marketo is a marketing automation platform used by B2B marketers to manage lead generation, nurturing, email marketing, and analytics.
Sales coaching is a process where managers help reps improve their skills and performance through personalized feedback, training, and guidance.
Adobe Analytics is a leading web analytics solution for gaining real-time insights into user activity across websites and mobile applications.
The marketing funnel is a model illustrating the path potential customers take, from initial awareness to making a purchase.
Inside sales metrics are quantifiable measures used to track the performance, activities, and effectiveness of an internal sales team.
Customer experience (CX) is a customer's total perception of your business, based on every interaction across the entire customer lifecycle.
Generic keywords are broad search terms that lack specific details like brand or location. They attract a wide audience with less specific intent.
Learn about bulk API, including how it works, the advantages of using it, common use cases, and tips for optimizing it.
Sales territory planning is the process of dividing customers into geographic areas to be assigned to specific sales reps or teams.
An elevator pitch is a short, memorable summary of what you do, designed to be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator.
A sales funnel is a model illustrating the customer's journey from initial awareness to the final purchase, narrowing down leads at each stage.
Siloed describes the isolation of data, teams, or systems within a company, which blocks collaboration and creates operational bottlenecks.
Learn about B2B marketing analytics, including key components of B2B marketing analytics, & getting started with B2B marketing analytics.
User-generated content (UGC) refers to any form of content, like images, videos, or text, created and shared by users on online platforms.
Sales velocity is a key metric measuring the speed at which your company makes money. It shows how fast deals move through your sales pipeline.
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is the predictable income a company expects to receive from its customers over a one-year period.
Webhooks are automated messages sent by an app when a specific event occurs. They push real-time data to another app's unique URL.
Outbound sales is when reps proactively contact potential customers through cold calls or emails to generate leads and build a sales pipeline.
Customer loyalty is a customer’s devotion to a brand, shown by their repeat purchases and engagement, driven by positive experiences and trust.
Virtual selling is the process of selling to customers remotely using technology like video calls, rather than meeting them in person.
Audience targeting is the process of segmenting consumers into specific groups to deliver more personalized and relevant marketing messages.
Sales prospecting software automates the process of finding, contacting, and tracking potential customers to help sales teams build their pipeline.
A value statement is a clear, concise declaration of the unique benefits a company provides to its customers, outlining its core purpose.
The lead qualification process is how you determine which prospects are most likely to become customers by evaluating them against specific criteria.
Upselling is a sales tactic encouraging customers to purchase a higher-end version of a product or related add-ons to boost revenue.
Lead scraping is the process of automatically extracting contact information and other relevant data about potential customers from online sources.
Sales productivity is the measure of a sales team's efficiency, focusing on maximizing revenue generation while minimizing the resources spent.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) benchmarks are key metrics used to measure the performance and success of your targeted account strategies.
Call analytics is the practice of analyzing phone call data to extract insights, track key metrics, and improve overall business performance.
Regression analysis is a statistical method for estimating the relationships between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables.
Content Rights Management involves controlling the use and distribution of copyrighted digital media to protect intellectual property.
A RESTful API is a web service interface that uses HTTP requests to access and use data, adhering to the constraints of REST architecture.
An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of rules that lets different software applications talk to each other and share information.
Customer segmentation is dividing customers into groups based on shared traits. This allows for more targeted and effective marketing efforts.
Lead scoring is the process of assigning points to leads based on their attributes and actions to determine their sales-readiness.
Lead response time is the duration between a potential customer showing interest and your team's first point of contact with them.
A talk track is a script that guides sales reps during calls. It ensures they cover key points and maintain a consistent message with prospects.
SQL (Structured Query Language) is the standard language for managing and querying data within relational databases.
Learn about B2B sales, including key strategies for B2B success, types of B2B sales models, & B2B vs. B2C sales: understanding the differences.
Marketing performance is the process of measuring a campaign's effectiveness against set goals using key metrics like ROI and conversion rates.
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a formal document that outlines a project's needs and invites qualified vendors to submit bids to complete it.
OAuth is an open standard for access delegation. It lets you grant apps access to your data on other services without sharing your password.
Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who complete a desired goal, like a purchase or sign-up, out of the total number of visitors.
Account-Based Everything (ABE) is a strategy aligning sales, marketing, and success teams to focus on a specific set of high-value accounts.
The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework focuses on understanding customer needs by identifying the specific 'job' they are trying to accomplish.
Learn about business continuity, including understanding key components, steps to ensure continuity, common challenges, & best practices.
Edge locations are globally distributed data centers that cache content close to users, reducing latency and delivering web content much faster.
Omnichannel marketing creates a seamless, unified customer experience by integrating a company's various communication and sales channels.
A hybrid sales model blends traditional and digital sales methods to engage customers across multiple channels and buying preferences.
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application that manages your entire hiring and recruitment process from a single dashboard.
A spiff is a short-term sales incentive, often a cash bonus, paid directly to a salesperson for selling a specific product or service.
Average Revenue per Account (ARPA) is the average revenue generated from each customer account, usually measured on a monthly or annual basis.
The purchase stage is when a buyer has decided on a solution and is ready to buy. They're comparing vendors to make a final choice.
A System of Record (SoR) is the authoritative data source for a specific type of data. It acts as the single source of truth for an organization.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search results.
Video email involves embedding a short video directly into an email. This lets recipients watch your message without leaving their inbox.
Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM) is the portion of the market your business can realistically serve with its current products and sales channels.
Demand generation is the process of creating awareness and interest in your products to build a pipeline of qualified leads for your sales team.
A sandbox is an isolated testing environment where new or untrusted code can be run safely without affecting the host device or network.
Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others reflect correct behavior for a given situation.
Sales team management is the process of leading, coaching, and motivating a sales team to achieve its sales goals and drive revenue growth.
Overcoming objections is the process of addressing and resolving a prospect's concerns or hesitations to move a sale forward.
White labeling is when a company puts its own branding on a product or service that was actually produced by a different company.
Email deliverability is the ability for your emails to successfully land in your recipients' inboxes instead of their spam folders.
A messaging strategy defines what your brand says, how it says it, and where it says it to connect effectively with your target audience.
A conversion path is the journey a visitor takes to complete a desired goal, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or subscribing.
Marketing analytics involves measuring and analyzing marketing data to understand campaign performance and improve return on investment (ROI).
LPI, or Lead Per Inquiry, is a key metric that measures how many leads are generated from each inquiry in a marketing campaign.
CCPA compliance is adhering to the California Consumer Privacy Act, a law that grants consumers more control over their personal data.
Sales objections are reasons or concerns raised by a potential customer as to why they are hesitant or unwilling to make a purchase.
Learn about B2B leads, including identifying quality B2B leads, generating B2B leads effectively, & B2B leads vs. B2C leads: understanding the differences.
Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a method where all expenses are re-evaluated and must be justified from scratch for each new budget period.
A buying signal is any action from a prospect that indicates they are interested in making a purchase, helping sales teams prioritize leads.
Learn about buyer intent, including understanding buyer intent signals, strategies to capture buyer intent, & buyer intent vs. customer interest.
Precision targeting is a marketing strategy that uses data to identify and reach a highly specific audience most likely to convert.
A channel partner is a company that works with a manufacturer or producer to market and sell their products, software, or services to customers.