American Express Launches Playbook to Prepare Businesses for AI-Driven Commerce
American Express has launched the Amex Business Playbook for Agentic Commerce, a comprehensive guide designed to help businesses adapt to the growing influence of AI in customer shopping behaviors. The playbook, released on October 6, 2026, offers research-backed insights and practical steps to prepare for a future where AI agents play a significant role in how customers search, evaluate, and purchase products and services.
According to new research from American Express, 62% of merchants expect AI agents shopping on behalf of customers to have a moderate or significant impact on their business in the next year. The playbook addresses key questions such as how businesses can be found and recommended by AI, how to prepare for AI-assisted purchases, and how to maintain trust and stand out in an AI-driven marketplace. Anna Marrs, American Express Group President of Global Merchant & Network Services, emphasized the importance of agentic commerce, stating it could be the most significant change in shopping behavior since the start of e-commerce.
The playbook also highlights that while 83% of surveyed businesses view agentic commerce as an opportunity, 64% find the pace of AI innovation difficult to keep up with. Only 41% of businesses are actively experimenting with or implementing agentic commerce, and 86% expect to need at least moderate support from payment providers and partners to prepare. The playbook includes five chapters covering essential topics such as understanding agentic commerce, improving visibility in AI-assisted search, and supporting trustworthy AI-assisted transactions.
American Express is also establishing a Merchant AI Advisory Council to gather insights from merchants as AI-enabled commerce evolves. This initiative follows earlier efforts, including the introduction of the Agentic Commerce Experiences (ACE) Developer Kit and Amex Agent Purchase Protection, which aims to protect eligible card members and merchants from charges related to errors by registered AI agents.