Although millennials are often talked about as the youngest generation of consumers on the block, plenty of people who fall into this age category are now becoming parents - a fact that brings with it emerging consumer trends that need tracking.

A survey conducted by Retal revealed that 85 per cent of millennials with kids take their smartphone out with them when they shop on the high street and use it to research products, compare prices and harness other features that are only available online.

For the fathers in this age group, it is the perusal of product reviews that keeps them coming back to their portable device before they commit to a purchase.

Meanwhile, mothers are more interested in seeking out voucher codes and other offers using their portable devices when they are out and about.

Forty per cent of the women questioned in the study said that they do not even bother making any kind of purchase, whether via safe shopping online or in a real world store, without also getting products or services that are part of a deal.

This same bargain-hunting spirit is embodied in just 22 per cent of the male respondents, although it is still clear that millennials are becoming more attuned to the benefits of seeking discounts online.

The report found that when it comes to encountering deals online or in-store, women are 12 per cent more likely to be convinced to take advantage of it than their male counterparts.

Shopping is an important part of being a new parent and it is clear that the habits millennials have developed due to growing up with e-commerce in their lives, are continuing to develop and alter the way that the retail industry operates, particularly as a result of smartphone usage.