Busker rejects cash – only accepts card payments

A busker in London has started to refuse cash payments and is now only accepting money for his performances via credit cards.

Peter Buffery plays on a guitar which has been adapted to feature ‘contactless technology’ allowing passers-by in Soho Square to ‘swipe’ a card and give him money.

Okay so it’s a publicity stunt by Barclaycard, however the idea of “swiping” for payment for small amounts certainly will be something that businesses will need to consider for the future.

Source.

Creepy Advertising

Interesting article on re-targeted advertising on Wired.

Imagine walking into a shoe shop in the high street, picking up and looking at a few pairs of shoes, before putting them down and leaving the store. Then imagine checking out a few other shops before popping into a newsagent, where you start flicking through a newspaper. As you do this, a display appears with the exact same shoes that you were interested in half an hour earlier, along with a deal attempting to lure you back to make a purchase.

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Osborne calls on banks to lend more to companies

BBC News reports on the chancellor calling for banks to lend more to business.

The chancellor has warned the UK’s banks that they need to start increasing their lending to businesses.

George Osborne said the government “would not tolerate banks piling the pressure” onto small firms, and that it was their “obligation” to lift lending.

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By getting banks to lend more, George is hoping that business investment will rise, resulting in an increase in jobs and incomes. This should also have a positive impact on tax revenues and reduce benefit payments.