National Survey Finds More Than 75% of Individual Investors Would Link Their Shopping Habits and Brand Loyalty to Stock Ownership, and They Desire Stock Perks

DETROIT, Nov. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- An October 2020 survey, commissioned by consumer shareholder platform TiiCKER™ and conducted online by The Harris Poll, highlighted for the first time the large and untapped potential for connecting individual investors² with the brands they know and love, and converting shareholders to customers.

The national survey of more than 2,000 adults showed that 77% of individual investors would be more likely to buy shares of a publicly traded company if they were offered a shareholder perk, reward or product discount. With loyalty program adoption skyrocketing in recent years, the analysis emphasizes a growing desire by consumers and shareholders to be rewarded for their loyalty and brand advocacy. Individual investors aged 45-54 (85%) are significantly more likely than those aged 18-34 (74%) and 65+ (72%) to say this, and those with an annual household income of at least $75,000 (83%) are significantly more likely to say this than those with an annual household income of less than $50,000 (62%).

Likewise, share ownership can affect purchase behavior and brand loyalty with 80% of individual investors agreeing that being a shareholder in a retailer, consumer product company or brand would make them more likely to be a customer of that company or buy their products. Those aged 35-64 are significantly more likely than those aged 18-34 to say this (87% vs. 73%), females were slightly more likely to be customers (82%) versus males (78%), and the likelihood was relatively consistent across racial lines with similar proportions of White (85%), Black (79%) and Hispanic (78%) investors all indicating their customer loyalty would be higher for the companies they own.

The survey also found that 82% of individual investors would be likely to buy shares of stock of a company if they are a brand, product or retailer they love. Those with an annual household income of at least $50,000 are significantly more likely to say this than those with an annual household income of less than $50,000 (86% vs.69%) and support peaks among females aged 45-54 who are most likely (94%) to buy stock in the brands they love.

"This survey data confirms what we have known anecdotally for decades – individual investors have the potential to be your best customers and also desire to be rewarded for their shareholder loyalty by the companies they own," said TiiCKER founder and CEO Jeff Lambert. "Although many individual investors rely on technical or fundamental analysis to pick individual stocks, these results indicate that the vast majority of investors 'buy what they know' and in turn 'shop what they own.' Regardless of an individual investor's age, income, ethnicity or education, 3 in 4 investors want to own the companies they love, will convert to customers and advocates for the brand, and want the perks of ownership."

"Companies can now appeal to consumer shareholders with affinity and emotion and TiiCKER makes that possible through our accessible, tech-driven platform that verifies and connects individual investors with public companies and facilitates the stock perks and rewards desired by shareholders."

Other findings regarding individual investor behavior from the TiiCKER/Harris poll included:

• Market size: 52% of Americans own individual stocks directly (through brokerage accounts, employee stock ownership plans, or direct stock purchase plans sponsored by individual companies, not including 401-k, mutual fund and retirement account investors. This equates to more than 130 million individual investors in the United States, more than double previous estimates for self-directed stock ownership. The survey also found that Hispanic (57%) and White Americans (52%) are significantly more likely to be individual investors than Black Americans (43%).
• Brand awareness: 73% of individual investors would be more likely to buy stock in a company whose brand or products they know versus a company whose brand or products they don't know.
• Preference for stock perks: 74% of individual investors would be more likely to buy stock in a company that offered a shareholder perk or product discount than stock in a company that didn't, affirming consumer preference for loyalty programs (3.8 billion loyalty memberships in the U.S.–Colloquy Loyalty Census)
• Shop what they own: 80% of individual investors say they would choose to buy from the retailer, consumer products company or brand they own versus a competitor that shareholders said they would choose to buy from the company they own versus a competitor, demonstrating the dual return on investment of marketing to consumer shareholders and leading TiiCKER to create a new marketing metric, Shareholder Lifetime Value™.

Launched earlier this year, TiiCKER is reinventing how individual investors are rewarded for brand loyalty by seamlessly connecting brands and shareholders through rewards and perks.

TiiCKER's online community brings investors and public companies together in a uniquely meaningful way, providing insightful content to help investors discover and invest in the brands they buy every day. It's a place for individual investors to discover shareholder perks, and a platform for public companies to market to new investors, consumers and shareholders and tap into the $10.6 trillion in online investor account assets. By safely and securely linking online brokerages and leveraging TiiCKER trading partners, individual investors can view their investments and perks in one place.

• Be rewarded: TiiCKER makes it easy to discover shareholder perks investors may qualify for based on individual share ownership.
• Be connected: The iOS app and web-based platform allow people to easily explore new companies that align with their lifestyle and values, perhaps uncovering a favorite brand they didn't know was publicly traded.
• Be empowered: TiiCKER's insights promote engagement with public companies, offering ways to directly communicate to consumers like never before.

Survey Method:
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of TiiCKER from October 14-16, 2020 among 2,070 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete methodology on the TiiCKER survey, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please visit www.TiiCKER.com/trends.

About TiiCKER
TiiCKER invented direct shareholder marketing through its web-based and app software platform that provides consumers and investors a revolutionary way to engage with the brands they love. For individual investors, TiiCKER provides unique access to shareholder perks, commission-free trading, and insights needed to discover and stay close to the brands they follow. For its public company brand partners, TiiCKER enables companies to engage, verify and incentivize consumer shareholders to better serve and understand their investors and maximize the lifetime value of their consumer shareholders. For more information, please visit TiiCKER.com.

About The Harris Poll
The Harris Poll is one of the longest-running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations, and social sentiment since 1963 that is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that delivers social intelligence for transformational times. We work with clients in three primary areas; building 21^st century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible. Learn more by visiting www.theharrispoll.com and follow The Harris Poll on Twitter and LinkedIn.

¹ Source: Worldmeter, Elaboration of data by United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.
² Defined as those who own shares of stock in publicly traded companies through traditional brokerage accounts, online brokerage accounts, employee stock ownership plans, or direct stock purchase plans, but not including 401-k, mutual fund and retirement account investments.

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SOURCE TiiCKER