http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/customer.html http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/customer.html > 1. General: A party that receives or co

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/customer.html http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/customer.html > 1. General: A party that receives or consumes products (goods or services) and has the ability to choose between different products and suppliers. See also buyer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer > In sales, commerce and economics, a customer (sometimes known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is the recipient of a good, service, product or an idea - obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplier via a financial transaction or exchange for money or some other valuable consideration I think to me the customer is the one receiving the product, whether or not they have actually spent money. Also for consideration, "paying customer" and "non-paying customer" are common(?) phrases.