IAB's Digital Shopping Report could be amazingly misleading. Read the small print.

In the previous blog posting I talked about the dangers, and then many benefits, of Google's Micro Moments. Blow me down if the next document I read provides just the evidence I wanted to substantiate my claims.

The Digital Shopping Report from IAB has lots of data about the way that different age groups use smartphones and tablets.

I was amazed how little difference there was between the age groups. As you would expect, the 18 year old is a lot more likely to use their smartphone to purchase than their grandmother. Not a shock.

But then I realised that the research base used by IAB only includes respondents who own tablets and smartphones. To get a real idea about the differences between the generations you have to figure in the differences in technology ownership as well as how it is used.

Apply the data by all means but remember that sample base is highly skewed - especially for older consumers. Dick Stroud