[] a person or an organization that buys a product or service from a shop/store or a business顾客；客户；主顾◆The company has around 7 million customers worldwide.公司在世界各地大约有 700 万个客户。◆They had no problem finding customers for their new service.他们为新服务寻找客户时，没有遇上任何困难。◆one of the store's biggest customers商店的最大客户之一◆Can you serve the next customer?能接待下一位顾客吗？➡client ➡ see note at supply chain ⨁to acquire / attract / find / get / have / keep / lose customers获得／吸引／寻找／得到／拥有／留住／失去客户⨁a big / good / large / loyal / regular customer大／好／大／忠诚的／老客户⨁an awkward / a demanding / difficult customer难处理／难满足／难应付的客户⨁existing / future / new / potential customers现有／未来／新／潜在的顾客⨁customer feedback / preferences顾客反馈／偏好internal customer target customers customer / client / clientele / consumer <chn/>Customer and client can be used to refer to either people or companies that buy things, while consumer and clientele are used about people. * customer 和 client 用来指购买商品的个人或公司，而 consumer 和 clientele 指个人。The word customer is usually used when the thing being sold is a standard product or service. 当所售商品为标准化产品或服务时通常使用 customer 一词：Phone companies are competing to sign up domestic customers. 电话公司都在争夺国内客户入网。Client is preferred when the thing being sold is specially prepared or designed, for example professional advice. 当产品为特别定制或设计时，例如专业化谘询，最好使用 client 一词：They had advised their clients to buy the shares. 他们建议其客户购买股票。It is now common for organizations providing public services, for example hospitals or bus companies, to refer to the people who use their services as customers or clients rather than patients, passengers, etc. This is because the words customer and client are thought to present a more professional image. 提供公共服务的机构，如医院或公交公司，现在也常把使用其服务的人称为 customer 或 client，而不是 patient、passenger 等。因为 customer 和 client 给人专业的感觉。The word consumer is used to describe any member of the public who buys things rather than a customer of a particular company. * consumer 可指购买产品的任何人，而非某一公司的客户：changes in consumer behaviour 消费者行为的变化consumer demand for cheap flights 消费者对廉价航班的需求The word clientele describes all the people who use a particular shop/store, restaurant or service. * clientele 是光顾特定商店、餐馆或使用特定服务的人的统称：The restaurant attracts a younger clientele. 这家餐馆吸引的顾客群是年轻人。