By Megan Ritter, iNews Cayman Guest Columnist

It’s official — your phone is more important than parenthood and personal hygiene. With the advent of the smart phone, mobile usage is more popular than ever. People are buying mobile phones in record numbers — more people, in fact, than those who are having children and buying toothbrushes!

The reason for this astonishing change is the accessibility and availability of mobile support and services. With social media, lifestyle apps and more, an increasing amount of people are preferring the benefits of smartphone technology. Data consumption is at an all-time high as scores of people from the younger generations and upward turn to their phones more than ever.

The cellphone isn’t just for texting anymore (phew, we just caught up). Many users view video content from their mobile phones and use their phones for quick Google searches on the go. Mobile Twitter is an immensely popular aspect of the social media website with 90% of all tweets coming from mobile devices in 2012 alone.

Why Be a Part of the Mobile Revolution?

Due to the overwhelming activity in the mobile sphere, an increasing number of companies are adding mobile support to their e-marketing offering. Not only are you able to reach scores of users via their mobile phone, transactions can also be completed quickly at the touch of a button.

Like the advent of Internet shopping before it, mobile shopping has become an easy and trusted way for consumers to buy products. An individual can search for an item, become acquainted with the competition, view, click and purchase all from their mobile phone. This streamlined process is appealing to many who enjoy the experience of shopping from the palm of their hand.

What’s more, businesses are seeing results from selling their products on mobile. Often retailers who have apps for phones see more engagement from customers. Along the same lines of the axiom “any publicity is good publicity,” an increased digital presence is positive for your company, especially in the domain of mobile technology.

The Topic in Your Pocket

Social media are responding to this trend in mobile usage by users and businesses. Many social media services offer the option to businesses to pay for promoted advertising which links the user back to a website or even a particular product. Facebook even recently announced that it would include additional information along with advertised links on mobile phones.

Customers are already using their phones for trends and topics of interest. Much of the time, an entire experience with a brand occurs digitally, and, the numbers show that this particular digital arena is the personal mobile phone. Consumers use their smartphones to search for virtually any and all information available on a store or product, from prices to reviews.

Because people are so used to accessing all of this pertinent information via their phones, many consumers are also comfortable with buying items directly via their phones, if not in the store. Check out this infographic below for more information on how you can make the most out of mobile for your business.