Agent commerce, in which AI agents search for products and handle payment on behalf of users, is spreading rapidly in China and is pushing global companies to change strategy, an analysis found.

Harvard Business Review's website said Meituan launched its AI agent Xiaomei in late 2025. If a user says, "Deliver my usual lunch order 20 minutes later today," the agent identifies the intent and applies preferences to complete the transaction without the user doing anything.

Alibaba's Qwen Agent carries out tasks on behalf of users across Alibaba apps including the Taobao shopping app, the Alipay payments app and the Amap maps app. Users take control only when they must make a judgment themselves.

Ant Group's AQ Health app automatically handles insurance checks and hospital bookings. HBR cited the everyday use of payment and identity infrastructure, a dense logistics network, integration around super-app ecosystems and high consumer acceptance as reasons China has become a leading indicator for agent commerce. Stanford AI Index 2025 said 83 percent of respondents in China said AI products have more advantages than disadvantages, far higher than 39 percent in the United States.

The most notable change is a shift in how value is created. As AI agents filter options on behalf of users, companies' old approach of using advertising and marketing to capture consumer attention becomes less effective. That means being chosen by agents becomes more important than persuading consumers.

HBR called this competition for an "agent shelf" and said machine-readable trust signals such as service level, dispute and refund rates, policy clarity and structured product data determine selection.