ultimate consumer

Meaning

1. 1nouncountablebusiness

   The person who finally buys and uses a product, as opposed to any company that handles or resells it on the way.

   Grammar: Takes a: the ultimate consumer pays the retail price; the plural is ultimate consumers.

   Patterns

   • the ultimate consumer of something
   • sell to the ultimate consumer

   The cost of shipping is eventually passed on to the ultimate consumer.

   The farmer sells to wholesalers, not directly to the ultimate consumer.

   Safety rules exist to protect the ultimate consumer of the toy.

Word forms

Common combinations

sell to the ultimate consumer

The brand sells to the ultimate consumer through its own shops.

cost passed to the ultimate consumer

Higher taxes were passed on to the ultimate consumer.

protect the ultimate consumer

The law is meant to protect the ultimate consumer.

reach the ultimate consumer

The goods pass through three companies before they reach the ultimate consumer.

benefit the ultimate consumer

Lower prices should benefit the ultimate consumer.

Synonyms and how they differ

end user

End user is common for software and technology, while ultimate consumer is more usual for goods and in economics.

final customer

Final customer is plainer and stresses the buying step, whereas ultimate consumer stresses use.

retail buyer

A retail buyer may purchase to resell, so it is not always the person who finally uses the product.

shopper

Shopper simply means someone buying in a store and says nothing about who finally uses the item.

Opposites

Word family

consumer noun

a person who buys and uses goods

consume verb

to use up, eat or drink

consumption noun

the using up of goods or resources

consumerism noun

the habit of buying many goods

Commonly confused: ultimate consumer or customer?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “ultimate consumer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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