Shoppers could be asked to pay more for ice-cream on a warm summer’s day as US-style ‘surge pricing’ looks set to hit UK shops.

Major British retailers are exploring using new technology to constantly change prices according to demand in shops.

The model is used widely in Europe and the US and by the popular taxi-sharing app Uber, which automatically increases its prices when there is a surge in requests.

So far it has been difficult for UK shops to respond quickly to changes in demand as their prices are listed manually on shelves and take time to change.

But industry insiders are now reporting a burst in demand for electronic pricing labels that allow retailers to change prices within just 20 seconds.

Major British retailers are exploring using new technology to constantly change prices (stock photo)

Andrew Dark, chief executive of electronic pricing company Displaydata, told the Sunday Telegraph the demand was going ‘beserk’.

He added: ‘This kind [electronic] of technology will be dominant in the UK within two years and within five years it will be rare to see a paper price tag.

‘Paper tags often show the wrong prices as they have to be manually replaced by staff when prices move, but electronic labels can be updated in just 20 seconds.

‘At present supermarkets are only able to act on around 20pc of the price changes their computer systems recommend, but this is about to change.’

It is understood Marks and Spencer used electronic tags last year to try and manage the lunch-time rush, offering the best deals before 11am.

Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Tesco have also all been exploring electronic price tagging, which can link shelf prices to their computer systems monitoring demand.

Experts predict technology will help flexible pricing become commonplace on petrol, electricity and gas as well as retail goods.

Last month the Daily Telegraph reported that major British supermarkets were in talks with a Danish firm that sells a computer algorithm that can charge drivers extra at busy times.

Experts predict technology will help flexible pricing become commonplace on petrol, electricity and gas as well as retail goods (stock photo)

It is already reportedly used at thousands of companies across the US and Europe to change prices up to ten times per day.

The potential for flexible pricing in UK supermarkets comes at a tough time for British consumers, with low wage growth and rising inflation.

Credit card firm Visa said earlier this month it had seen the first annual fall in consumer spending in nearly four years in May.

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: ‘We looked at electronic shelf pricing two years ago and we continually look at technology initiatives to make the shopping experience easier for customers.’

A spokesman for Tesco told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘We are always looking at ways to improve the shopping experience for our customers and are currently trialling electronic shelf edge labels in one of our stores.’

It is understood Morrisons’s wants to reduce the time it takes to change labels for the sake of efficiency, rather than surge pricing.