The Sunday paper's weekly adverts and the grocery store's weekly circular have been deemed antiquated.

After all, coin-saving mobile apps have emerged, proving to be the model method for helping millennials to save money, and encouraging them toward specific brands and stores as they shop for groceries, clothing, electronics, and wine, beer and spirits.

Smartphone shoppers, who are overwhelmingly young, have emerged as the smarter shopper. Mobile influence has pierced each market, and it's evident that tech-savvy millennials are leading the pack when it comes to mobile influence and off-line purchasing. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that Millennials spend a bulk of their "eyeball time" focused on their mobile screens, yet they still adore spend time in stores.

According to Bryan Leach, CEO and Founder of the Android and iOS app Ibotta, millennials view their mobile devices as screen number one, and it impacts the way they shop. Mobile screens are more important than television screens to millennials, who rarely see television ads (thanks to Netflix, Tivo and other streaming options) and they rarely subscribe to newspapers. Therefore, they experience less commercial engagement and they lack familiarity with couponing, unlike older shoppers who habitually claw through papers and pour over coupons.

"[Millennials are] mobile-oriented, so they expect to find information on their handheld devices. Also, they're very influenced by social behavior. When they see content on Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms, they're more likely to click on it and learn about it, or download apps," Leach, a former trial lawyer, told Latin Post recently.

The shopping app Ibotta has an interesting, young and diverse shopper demographic. Seventy percent of its users are under the age of 35 and 90 percent are under the age of 45. The average age for Ibotta users is 28 years old, which is 20 years younger than the "paper coupon crowd" or "the print-at-home crowd." Nearly ten percent of users indicated they spoke Spanish at home. Also, 76.6 percent of the app's users are women. However, that'll shift as they've added retail partners such as Best Buy and Sports Authority partners.

Rio Ranch Market and various Hispanic grocery stores are partnered with Ibotta, also. At these stores, the pattern of usage is a bit more intense, and the shoppers visiting these markets tend to be more active, Leach indicated.

"Ibotta is known for being free mobile app that works almost everywhere you want to shop, giving you cash back rewards. Whether you're buying groceries, clothing or electronics, or beer, wine and spirits, or almost anything, you're going to earn cash back rewards without having to use a whole bunch of different apps. You can use one app," said Leach. "The point is to empower consumers by putting all of this information about the brands they might want to buy in one place, so they can not only get rewards, but in the process of unlocking rewards, they can read recipes, they can learn information, watch videos and answer poll questions. It's a place where they can really have a conversation with brands and retailers, and that's very different from, let's say, Groupon."

According to Leach, mobile devices are ideal for unlocking in-store offers instantly, while companies like eBates can help people save money on their laptops -- when they get cash back rewards after three months of waiting.

Leach explained that the biggest misconception out there is that "ecommerce is the most exciting opportunity in digital today, but the reality is that mobile use influences in-store purchases." According to the CEO, by the end of next year, mobile /in-store purchasing in the U.S. will be a $700 million market opportunity, and the entirety of ecommerce will be about $350 billion. For the first time in history, mobile devices will be seen as the technology used to convince people to participate in in-store shopping. Already, cell phones are being used to help millennials decide where to drive and where to shop. By the end of next year, e-commerce will take a backseat to traditional commerce for the first time in the digital age, and that monumental shift will make a powerful impact on the way people shop.

Since launching four years ago, Ibotta has earned close to 7 million users. And Ibotta users have earned more than $17.5 million in rewards using Ibotta through millions of rebates and gamified engagements.

"We're constantly adding more content and more offers. And we're making it more fun and low friction to use. And when we launch new partnerships, like being able to shop on Amazon and get cash back or being able to pay with a barcode when you check out at Best Buy, we get a lot of really exciting buzz. So, we continue to look for new opportunities like those to bring to our consumers," Leach said.

According to the Nielsen Company, 21 percent of U.S. Millennials are identifying themselves as Hispanic, so it's rational to assume that young Latinos are taking advantage of money-saving offers. In additional to Ibotta, some other mobile-friendly money-saving resources are: Favado.com, www.grocerysmarts.com, thekrazycouponlady.com and Checkout51. And for those who are reluctant to leave behind traditional coupon clipping, check out these impressive databases: Coupons.com, HotCouponWorld.com and hekrazycouponlady.com.

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