What is a customer?

- Webster’s dictionary: a person or business who purchases a commodity or service

What is (a) custom?

- Webster’s dictionary: a habitual practice; regular patronage of a particular shop, restaurant, etc.

I hope I am not the only one who can see the contradiction here. In the first case a customer is defined by a single purchase transaction. In the second iteration, the definition of the prime root of the word, it speaks of regularity, particularity, patronage.

It should then be no surprise that loyalty is the biggest issue facing marketers. The word customer has lost its meaning. A one-time purchase is not a customer. It is a transaction in a P&L account. If you don't respect the meaning of a customer, don't expect the customer to respect you in return. If you have to discount to earn repeat business, don't call it loyalty marketing. Call it debit accounting.