American Express Launches Free Guide to Prepare Businesses for AI Shopping

American Express (AXP) has launched a free guide to help businesses adapt to agentic commerce, where AI agents handle shopping and purchases on behalf of customers. The Amex Business Playbook for Agentic Commerce offers research-backed insights and practical steps to prepare for AI-driven changes in how customers search, evaluate, and buy.

New research from American Express shows that 62% of merchants expect AI agents to have a moderate or significant impact on their business within the next year. While 83% of businesses see agentic commerce as an opportunity, 64% struggle to keep up with AI innovation. Only 41% are actively experimenting with or implementing these technologies, and 86% believe they will need support from payment providers to adapt.

Consumer trust in AI agents varies widely. A survey found that 66% of U.S. consumers are likely to use AI for price research and 61% for product recommendations. However, only 15% feel comfortable letting AI buy high-value items like electronics and appliances, compared to 52% for everyday essentials. The playbook addresses key questions, such as how businesses can stand out when AI narrows consumer choices and how to maintain trust in AI-assisted transactions.

The playbook is available for free and covers topics like making AI-driven transactions work for businesses and supporting trustworthy AI-assisted purchases. American Express is also establishing a Merchant AI Advisory Council to gather insights as AI-enabled commerce evolves. Earlier this year, the company introduced the Agentic Commerce Experiences (ACE)™ Developer Kit and Amex Agent Purchase Protection™, which aims to protect eligible card members and merchants from AI agent errors.