An end user is the person who uses a product, i.e. the consumer. The term is based in the fields of economics and commerce. The end user may differ from the person who purchases the product. For instance, if a zookeeper purchases elephant food the purchaser of the product is different than the end user (the elephant) of that product. An end user of a computer system is someone who operates the computer, as opposed to the developer of the system who creates new functions for end users.
In contracts, the term end user becomes a legal construct referring to a non-reseller. This definition characterizes the store the zookeeper bought food from as a non-end user, but the zookeeper as an end user. This legal construct most often appears in End-User License Agreements (EULA's); the end user is the one who uses the product irrespective of who developes it or who buys it.
