The latest stats from Criteo show that people who use social media platform, Snapchat, are three times as likely to enjoy safe shopping online than typical UK consumers.

It is not just that Snapchat is popular among eager e-commerce fans, but also with those who are most willing to spend significant amounts of cash online.

A third of people who have the app installed on their phone said that they have no qualms about splashing out more than £100 in an average m-commerce transaction. This shows that they have more trust in mobile sites and services that offer safe shopping online.

Analysts believe that the success that Snapchat has enjoyed among younger people is largely responsible for these statistics. And smartphone use is so common among under-35s that a fifth of millennials are willing to part ways with £250 in a single mobile shopping spree.

In spite of the apparent impact of m-commerce among the youth, just six per cent of respondents to the study said that they preferred to carry out safe shopping online on their portable device rather than a desktop computer or at a bricks and mortar store.

Across almost every category of products, Snapchat users proved themselves to be more in favour of e-commerce than any other segment of the population. A tenth of those aged between 18 and 24 years old even said that they would happily buy a car from their mobile.

If these trends continue to develop then the rise of the Snapchat generation could have a huge influence on the way that web-based retail experiences operate. A switch to a mobile-first approach to site design is all but inevitable, while advertisers will look to target consumers via social media platforms in greater numbers to ensure consistent engagement.