The data source will change the way in which ONS measures inflation, as it will mean that for shops supplying scanner data, ONS will be able to see how the price of every type of grocery item changes.

ONS currently measures inflation by manually recording price points – price collectors use mobile devices to record prices.

The change will mean ONS can better capture the impact of a wider range of promotions on average price inflation, as the price charged at the till will feed into statistics, rather than the price shown on the shelf.

Mike Hardie, deputy director for prices transformation at ONS, wrote in a blog post: "This new data source will bring a step change in our measurement of inflation.

"Now, rather than assuming the change in the price of one type of apple in a supermarket reflects all apples, for the shops supplying us with scanner data, we will be able to see how the price of every apple changes as well as knowing exactly how much of each type of apple is bought, so can adjust the figures for changing buying habits."

ONS will not have any information about individual shoppers, Hardie added.

ONS will bring in the new data source in March, alongside its annual review of the basket of goods and services, when it will replace physical price collection for half of the grocery market.

Analysis from ONS found that the move on average had "little overall change" on headline inflation over a six-year period between 2019 and 2025.

As well as scanner data, March’s inflation numbers will also include an additional collection day for hotel stays and computer games, which ONS said will aim to reduce volatility introduced by major events and the composition of charts respectively.