The 3 next big things in commerce tech for 2026

AI is poised to transform virtually everything about online and physical retail, from product exposure and recommendations to consumers even having to complete the transactions for themselves. These honorees are setting the stage for agentic commerce, allowing critical medical supplies to take flight and providing physical retailers with comprehensive intelligence about shopping variables within and beyond the store. American ExpressFor putting agents on the checkout lineDuring the early days of e-commerce, retailers strived to simplify online purchasing for consumers. In the AI era, a new wave of accommodations must be forged to allow frictionless transactions by agents. American Express’s Agentic Commerce Experiences (ACE) toolkit leverages the company’s experience across a range of financial roles and includes a new trust model focused on identity, intent, accountability, and visibility. But Amex is still keeping humans in mind through a new agent purchase-protection program that protects eligible card members from charges resulting from certain AI agent errors. Early-access developer partners have recently signed on to ACE, which could further drive the record card-member purc…