There are many reasons retail shareholders choose to invest in stocks. Investing has created a huge amount of wealth. The S&P 500, for example, has consistently returned 8% to 12% annually and even a modest $10,000 investment in 1972 would be worth more than $380,000 today. Individual investors also buy stocks to earn passive income through dividend payment, protect their money as a hedge against inflation and as a way to support and invest in their favorite companies.

We’re not trying to fool ourselves here at TiiCKER. We know shareholder benefits are probably not the first reason an individual investor buys shares in a stock. But we also know research shows shareholder benefits can provide a boost in a company’s stock price and increase share retention. And that’s what we love about stock perks: They benefit shareholders and they also benefit the companies that offer them. So while shareholder benefits might not be the first reason for investing, they are important for retail stockholders and the companies that offer them.

Shareholder benefits are nothing new. The Wrigley Company used to send a pack of gum to shareholders as a gift for owning stock in the company. Japanese companies have used shareholder benefits to attract investors for years.

Until TiiCKER, there was no easy way for companies that offer shareholder benefits to connect with individual investors. And there was no easy way for retail shareholders to find perks they might be eligible for. Connecting to shareholder benefits on TiiCKER is easy. Retail shareholders can sign up for a free TiiCKER account and link their brokerage to see which shareholder benefits they can redeem. Publicly traded companies – whether they already have shareholder benefits or not – can connect with TiiCKER experts who can help them design an investor perk program or supercharge one already in place.

TiiCKER is built to connect publicly traded companies to the 130 million retail investors and their $17 trillion in assets by enabling them to provide perks and rewards. Think of it as a loyalty program for shareholders, who almost always (82%, according to a Harris Poll) are fans of the companies they own and their brands.

Since TiiCKER went live in 2020, it has connected investors with hundreds of perks that range from exclusive wine access and winery tours from Willamette Valley Vineyards (Tii:WVVI) to discounts on consumer goods from Aterian (Tii:ATER) and its family of brands to merchandise from Recruiter.com (Tii:RCRT), to name just a few.

A national Harris Poll 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.

So even though shareholder benefits might not be top of the list for retail investors or public companies, maybe they should be. After all, 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.