Sellers of Big Issue magazine can now share their own QR code with customers. When scanned, the code sends customers to a personalised web page from where they can learn more about the vendor's story and set up a subscription.

The initiative is part of a wider campaign by Big Issue to highlight the self-employed status of magazine vendors. It includes an out of home campaign entitled ‘The Street is My Store’. The centrepiece is a mural created by Global Street Art’s lead artist Peter Barber, and located in London's East End. It visualises what a Big Issue-branded shop might look like on a typical high street.

Big Issue vendors buy magazines for £2 and sell them on for £4. Customers can also subscribe with a vendor online, which provides a vital additional source of regular income.

The charity says vendor numbers are rising thanks largely to the cost of living crisis. It reports that its base has increased by 10 percent since last year.

Zoe Hayward, Group Chief Marketing Officer at BIG, said: “We have launched this campaign to showcase ways in which our vendors work hard to earn a living and that customers can now boost their local vendors’ income in even more ways. We hope it will capture the attention of the public and readdress common misconceptions around how our business model and our vendor network.”