Generation Y isn’t just leaving parents behind when it comes to shopping using their cell phones—retailers too, are struggling to keep up with them. USA Today has an in-depth look at the shopping habits of “digital millennials,” as this age group is being called, who want the ability now to search for an item on their phone and to buy it.

Like all teens, those in the story seek out the opinions of their friends on their purchases. But with mobiles, they can hook up though social networks to discuss their shopping, or to send each other photos of their potential purchases. Plus they’re also unfazed by mobile ads and are more likely to opt in for text promotions, coupons and mobile search services. NearbyNow, a mobile start up that helps shoppers search for items in 200 member malls, says it had to stop sending free offers via SMS because the numbers they were attracting were apparently causing “near-stampedes” at local malls.

Aside from NearbyNow, a slew of other companies are rushing to provide m-commerce services: mobile retailing site mPoria has 130 retailers on its site; mobile couponing company Cellfire has signed on some 250 merchants, including retail and restaurant chains; start-up Slifter helps shoppers find items in a geographic area. Retailers, however, are the weak link. Major retailers—such as Nordstrom and Macy’s—don’t have their full store inventories for mobile searches. Plus, for all the teenage enthusiasm, infrastructure and technology aren’t quite there: mobile coupons can’t be scanned at registers and transactions often can’t be completed.