Image by tobiastoft via Flickr

Smartphones are changing the way moms think about everything, from shopping to parenting. In a recent survey conducted by BabyCenter, 51% of moms admitted to being “addicted” to their smartphones. What does this mean? Simply that this generation of mothers is plugged into the culture in ways their own mothers were not.

Smartphones have taken the place of the coffee klatch — instead of dropping the kids at the bus stop and sitting down in the kitchen to catch up on neighborhood gossip, moms are turning to their phones to network. 96% of the moms surveyed by BabyCenter have some type of Facebook app on their phones; these same moms are 284% more likely to text a friend than they are to call them.

But these women aren’t just playing games and reading celebrity gossip on their phones; they’re transacting family business. 53% of the women in the survey said their smartphone purchase “was directly related to becoming a Mom.” The most important features on Mom’s phone are the camera and video camera, followed closely by her apps — a quarter of which are specifically for the kids.

When they’re not shooting video of the kids, moms are using their smartphones to shop. 62% of moms surveyed use their smartphones to compare prices, while 46% say they have followed up on an ad they saw on their smartphone.  46% say the best time to receive information about products is while they are in the store. Apps that show local or nearby deals and allow barcode scanning are popular with these phone-savvy moms as well.

What does all this mean for marketers? Simple: Moms are looking for ways to keep in touch and stay informed, all while streamlining their responsibilities, and they are frequently turning to their smartphones to help them out. Reaching these plugged-in moms is a matter of getting into their phones, via social networking outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare.

What is your brand doing to reach these savvy mobile ready moms?