As already mentioned, consumers are potentially infl uenced by a diverse range of people with
whom they come in contact or observe. We will consider the following five specifi c reference
groups because they give us a kind of cross-section of the types of groups that influence consumers’ attitudes and behaviour:
1 . friendship groups,
2 . shopping groups,
3 . work groups,
4 . virtual groups or communities, and
5 . consumer-action groups.
The family, possibly the most compelling reference group for consumer behaviour, will be
fully covered in the second part of this chapter.