New findings reveal today's young adults are conducting their lives in the same way they might shop for latest fashions - even when it comes to making important life decisions such as marriage, careers, children and where to live.

In a new report commissioned by eBay, these 'Life Shoppers' have been defined as YEPPIES - Young, Experimenting, Perfection-seekers.

eBay teamed up with Kate Fox, social anthropologist from the Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC) and author of current bestseller "Watching the English", to study the behaviour of today's young adults and discover this new breed.

The research revealed today's 'Life Shoppers' are experimental in their approach to jobs, relationships, homes, identities and lifestyles.

The natural consequence is that grown-up decisions are being postponed until young adults are completely satisfied they have exhausted all the options.

Common 'shopping' behaviours such as browsing, impulse buying and savvy purchasing are being honed on sites like eBay.co.uk and applied to the life-changing decisions that herald becoming an adult.

eBay shoppers bought over $1.4bn of goods on the UK site in Q1 2005 in a clear demonstration of these new and improved shopping skills.

Kate Fox comments: "unlike the Yuppies of the 1980s, who were motivated by money and status and knew how to get both, our research for eBay reveals today's young adults are less certain and less single-mindedly materialistic than their predecessors.

"YEPPIES are unsure about how to achieve their ambitions so they experiment, through a shopping-style approach, trying to find the perfect job, the ideal relationship and the most fulfilling lifestyle.

"We are seeing the postponement of adulthood where it will be increasingly regarded as normal for young people to continue 'Life Shopping' well into their late 20s and 30s.

"The way things are going, by 2012 30 will be the new 20 as the 'official' age for transition to adulthood; people getting married in their twenties will be regarded as too young or too immature to make such a big decision. "

Read the full report here.