AmEx Offers Small Business an Entree to E-Commerce

If you're a small business or firm, chances are you or your clients may accept American Express [1] for payment. If so, the credit card and financial services giant is making it easier for you to begin an e-commerce effort [2] by helping supply some of the tools.

The move by American Express to provide these services is another step the company has taken to partner with small business.

One of the primary components of this new e-commerce effort is providing businesses with the ability to accept American Express for payment over the Internet. Also provided are free Internet access, Web design tools, marketing assistance and a method to gather sales leads.

All of these tools are outsourced by American Express to third parties. For example, online payment is made available through Verisign [3], and the free Internet access is hosted by Velcero [4].