A consumer is any individual or entity that purchases or uses goods and services for personal use or satisfaction the final user in the economic chain of production and distribution.
- In Economics: The last person in the supply chain who uses the good or service without reselling or transforming it for commercial purposes
- In Law (Consumer Protection Act, 2019, India): Any person who buys goods/services for consideration (payment) and uses them does NOT include a person who obtains goods for resale or commercial purpose
- Consumer vs. Customer: A customer buys; a consumer uses. The same person can be both, or they can be different (parent buys food, child consumes it)
Six Consumer Rights in India:
- Right to safety
- Right to information
- Right to choose
- Right to be heard
- Right to redressal
- Right to consumer education