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Customer Attributes

18 Types of Customer

 , updated on July 03, 2023
A customer is a person, business, organization or government that has made a purchase from you recently. The following are common types of customer and potential customer.

Target Market

The first view of the customer that marketing teams develop is a target market that specifies a group of potential customers by factors such as location, demographics, behaviors, needs and preferences.

Lead

A lead is an identified member of your target market who isn't a customer yet.

Qualified Lead

It is common to qualify or disqualify leads for your sales process by scoring the likelihood that they will make a purchase. For business-to-business sales this usually includes factors such as budget, authority, needs and timeline.

Opportunity

An opportunity is a potential customer who is engaged by your sales team and is likely to make a purchase.

Subscription Customer

A customer who pays a monthly fee to you for a service.

One-Time Customers

Customers who purchase exactly once potentially due to a bad experience with your brand.

Transactional Customers

Customers who buy from you sporadically. This can occur due to comparison shopping whereby a customer buys the best perceived value each time without a strong brand preference.

Loyal Customer

A customer who makes regular purchases. The exact definition of a loyal customer depends on your industry. For durable goods, a loyal customer might be a purchase every 3 years. A fast-moving consumer goods company might view loyalty as 2 purchases a month.

Convenience Loyalty

A customer who is loyal because they find you to be convenient. In other words, if something more convenient came along they might defect.

Functional Loyalty

A customer who purchases from you because you offer functionality or features they need. Such customers will typically remain loyal as long as your features match their needs.

Quality Loyalty

A loyal customer who purchases from you because the quality of your products and services match their preferences. For example, a customer who is convinced that you offer the best tasting coffee.

Brand Loyalty

A loyal customer who identifies with your brand.

Relationship Loyalty

Customers who buy from you because they have a business relationship with your employees such as sales people or customer service staff.

Price Sensitive

A customer who buys from you because you are the cheapest or offer the best value relative to their needs. Price sensitive customers may leave if you hike prices.

Lost Customers

A customer who was previously loyal who no longer purchases from you.

Stuck Customer

A customer who faces switching barriers to stop using your product. Such customers may be completely dissatisfied but remain loyal until they see a way out. For example, a business that uses a software tool to semi-automate their core business processes may find it difficult to replace the tool.

Satisfied Customer

A customer who is loyal because they are pleased with your end-to-end customer experience.

Advocate

A customer who recommends you to people.
Overview: Customer
Type
Definition
A person, business, organization or government that has made a purchase from you recently.
Related Concepts

Consumer Behavior

This is the complete list of articles we have written about consumer behavior.
Adverse Selection
Attention Economics
Buying Behavior
Conservation Of Effort
Conspicuous Conservation
Conspicuous Consumption
Consumer Attitudes
Consumer Culture
Consumer Economics
Consumer Education
Consumer Research
Consumer Society
Consumerism
Consumption
Curiosity Drive
Customer Motivation
Customer Needs
Customer Perceptions
Customer Persona
Customer Preferences
Customers
Escapism
Fear Of Missing Out
Impulse Buying
Marketing Analysis
Materialism
Middle Class
Overconsumption
Peak Experiences
Perceived Risk
Price Sensitivity
Problem Recognition
Product Involvement
Prosumer
Snob Effect
Status Seeking
User Intent
Willingness To Pay
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