---
id: "action-shape-early-alliances"
type: "action-item"
source_timestamps: ["§ An Agent-to-Agent Strategic Playbook"]
tags: ["partnerships", "negotiation"]
related: ["claim-early-movers-shape-terms"]
action: "Strike co-branded deals with AI agents now to ensure favorable data-sharing terms."
outcome: "Secures leverage and prevents being forced into inferior terms later."
speakers: ["Mikey Vu", "Maureen Burns", "Aaron Cheris"]
sources: ["geo"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-geo"
originDay: 3
articleStem: "hbr-nm-97-retailers-ai-shoppers"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/10/what-should-retailers-do-about-ai-shoppers"
sourceTitle: "What Should Retailers Do About AI Shoppers?"
---
# Shape early alliances with agents

## Action — Shape early alliances with agents

**Do this:** Strike co-branded deals with AI agents now to ensure favorable data-sharing terms.
**Expected outcome:** Secures leverage and prevents being forced into inferior terms later.

Learning from the travel aggregator era, vendors should **not wait** to engage with AI platforms. Striking co-branded deals now — while vendors still possess leverage (inventory and brand equity) — lets them negotiate favorable terms on data sharing. This is dimension 6 of the [[framework-a2a-strategic-playbook]] and the practical instantiation of [[claim-early-movers-shape-terms]] (backed by the [[entity-marriott-d3]] / [[entity-expedia]] precedent).

**Enrichment caveat:** the early-mover advantage is directionally supported (Deloitte, Bain) but empirically soft; move early *and* keep optionality (multi-homing across ecosystems) rather than betting on a single platform.