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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test whether, in the context of blood donation, the predictive ability of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) extends from behavioural intention to actual donation behaviour, and whether extended versions of the TPB perform better than the standard version.Design/methodology/approachIntentions to donate blood predicted by the TPB are compared with an accurate measure of blood donation behaviour obtained following a mobile blood drive by the New Zealand Blood Service.FindingsWhen the observed outcome is donation behaviour rather than behavioural intention, the TPB model's performance drops. Extending the variables in the model to include moral obligation and past behaviour does not improve its predictive ability, and neither does the use of belief‐based variables.Practical implicationsThe TPB is much less effective in predicting blood donation behaviour than it is in predicting intentions to donate blood. But only actual donation behaviour yields medical supplies. This study suggests that to advance the goal of increasing donation rates, attention needs to turn to methods other than the TPB to identify variables that do predict donation behaviour.Originality/valueThe present study gathered one of the largest samples used for TPB blood donation research; this enabled predictions made using the TPB to be tested against actual behaviour, rather than behavioural intention, the measure typically used in blood donation studies. Because blood donation is a low‐incidence behaviour, previous studies have been hampered by small sample sizes, that inevitably contain few donors, and no measure of actual donation behaviour.

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Shopper research has long been undertaken with physical simulated stores and desktop‐operated virtual stores. However, recent developments in motion‐tracked virtual reality offer a range of new possibilities for research using immersive walk‐around virtual simulated stores. To date, there is little knowledge published on the authenticity of shopper behaviour in such immersive virtual environments. The present study therefore reports exploratory results from 153 multicategory shopping trips conducted in an immersive virtual convenience store. Observed shopper metrics and theoretical effects are compared with equivalent data obtained from published sources and found to be consistent across all measures. Specifically, shoppers purchase a plausible share of private label brands, more private label brands in lower consumption pleasure product categories, more products from higher compared with lower shelf positions, make a plausible proportion of impulsive purchases, and spend less time inspecting familiar versus unfamiliar brands. Further, time in‐store, total spending, and product handling time are higher for women than for men. These exploratory findings show that participants continue to exhibit realistic shopper behaviours in an immersive virtual simulated store. Such stores are therefore a cost‐effective alternative to other methods for measuring consumer behaviour. They offer significant potential for innovative experimental designs in consumer research, as well as potential for future use as a digital shopping channel.

New Zealand shares a common problem with other countries: a shortage of blood donors. Approximately 4% of New Zealand's total population donate blood, yet up to 20% may need to receive donated blood or blood products. However, there has been little success in accurately predicting willingness to donate blood, and greater knowledge is needed of those variables most likely to predict potential donors’ behaviour, so that efforts to increase the number of blood donors can be effectively directed. This study compared the predictive ability of Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour, based on the measurement of attitudinal variables, and Labaw's behavioural approach, in the context of willingness to donate blood. The findings indicated attitudinal variables were better predictors of behavioural intentions but a behavioural approach better predicted reported donation behaviour. This result provides support for further study of the framework proposed by Labaw.