American Express unveils playbook for AI-led shopping

American Express has launched the Amex Business Playbook for Agentic Commerce after a survey found many US businesses expect AI-led shopping to affect their operations.

The guide is designed to help businesses prepare for a shift in which AI agents play a larger role in how consumers search for, compare and buy products and services. It is being released alongside a pilot Merchant AI Advisory Council, which will gather views from merchants across sectors.

Research published by American Express points to growing consumer use of AI in shopping. It found that 55% of surveyed US consumers have already used an AI agent for at least one activity during the purchase journey.

The findings also suggest businesses see opportunity in that shift, even as many struggle to keep pace with developments. Among surveyed US businesses, 83% viewed agentic commerce as an opportunity, while 64% said the pace of AI innovation was difficult to keep up with.

Only 41% said they were actively experimenting with or implementing agentic commerce, while 86% expected to need at least moderate support from payment providers and partners to prepare.

Consumer signals

The consumer survey suggests AI could become more embedded in product discovery and price comparison. Two-thirds of respondents, or 66%, said they were likely to use AI agents to research the best price for a product or service, while 61% said they were likely to use one for recommendations in the next 12 months.

Trust in AI-assisted purchasing appears to vary by the value of the item. American Express found that 52% of surveyed US consumers felt comfortable allowing an AI agent to buy everyday, lower-cost items such as groceries and household essentials. Only 15% said they would be comfortable with an AI agent buying higher-value goods such as electronics and appliances.

The playbook addresses questions merchants may face as AI systems increasingly mediate customer choice. Its first five chapters cover the basics of agentic commerce, how businesses can be found and recommended by AI, how AI-driven transactions could work for a business, what firms need to know about trustworthy AI-assisted transactions, and how to stand out when AI narrows customers' options.

The guide draws on American Express's merchant relationships, its internal perspective on payments and commerce, and research into consumer behaviour and merchant readiness.

Advisory council

The pilot Merchant AI Advisory Council is intended to give merchants a forum to share views on how AI-enabled commerce is changing. Those discussions are expected to inform how American Express supports businesses as new issues emerge.

The playbook and council sit alongside the payments group's wider work in this area. Earlier this year, it introduced its Agentic Commerce Experiences developer kit and announced Amex Agent Purchase Protection, intended to cover eligible card members and merchants in cases involving errors by registered AI agents.

Anna Marrs, Group President of Global Merchant & Network Services at American Express, said the company sees AI-led shopping as a major shift in commerce.

"American Express has a long history of helping merchants navigate major change, from championing small businesses through Small Business Saturday to supporting major shifts in consumer behavior, including the rise of eCommerce and contactless payments," said Anna Marrs, Group President of Global Merchant & Network Services at American Express.

"We believe agentic commerce could be the most significant change in shopping and purchasing behavior since the start of eCommerce. We're focused on helping businesses understand what's changing, prepare for what's next and capture the opportunities ahead," Marrs said.

The merchant survey was conducted among 502 US business leaders responsible for customer payment options, online sales, digital strategy or planning. The consumer survey covered 2,005 US adults aged 18 and over who reported making at least three online purchases in the previous six months.

American Express works with more than 190 million merchant locations worldwide.