And just like that, it’s the last day of April. Here is your brief of industry news from the last week.  Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands and Retailers

• T-Mobile and Sprint to merge.  Fast Company
• Old Navy to open 60 stores this year, driving Gap’s growth.  CNBC
• Amazon’s fiscal discipline pays off as it more than doubles profit.  The Wall Street Journal
• Apple poised to move further into media.  The Guardian
• Amazon will now deliver packages to the trunk of your car.  The Verge
• Ford cuts sedans and marketing spend.  AdAge
• Amazon breaks $50B in revenues in Q1.  WWD
• Coach, Fenty and Nike cut the middle man and sell straight to consumer.  USA Today
• How private equity is boosting some brands and crushing others.  Fortune
• Adidas is testing how to mass-produce custom shoes like those it makes for elite athletes.  Quartz
• 12 retailers on the brink of bankruptcy in 2018.  Retail Dive
• Can online retail solve its packaging problem? Fast Company
• Gen Z is about to kill cash.  Retail Dive
• WalMart sells its UK supermarket business in $10B deal.  CNN
• Retailers benefiting the most from the tax cut.  Forbes
• GNC is closing 200 stores.  Bloomberg
• Abercrombie CEO details the brand’s global growth plans.  Business Insider
• American Apparel relaunches online globally.  Fashionista

Marketing and Social Media

• Is video the future of online shopping? Business of Fashion
• Amazon now has a multi-billion dollar advertising business.  CNBC
• Twitter sold Cambridge Analytica researcher public data access.  AdAge
• Facebook is conquering commerce in the developing world.  Bloomberg
• Why retailers are trading points for experiences when it comes to loyalty programs.  AdWeek
• The mad dash to buy vintage clothes on Instagram.  Bloomberg
• Pepsi eyes investors for Creators League Studio.  AdAge
• Four ways sneaker brands successfully build hype.  High Snobiety
• In fashion’s hype-driven era, Hermes is doing its own thing.  Dazed
• Why Instagram managed to remain unscathed amid Facebook scandals.  Digiday

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

• Pinterest is using AI to filter beauty searches by skin tone.  Glossy
• The makers of AI influencer Lil Miquela receive $6M in funding.  Hypebeast
• Alexa will soon gain a memory, converse more naturally and automatically launch skills.  TechCrunch
• Tile and Comcast now let you find lost items through voice search on your TV.  Venture Beat
• Adobe acquires Uru, an AI startup that embeds ads in videos.  Venture Beat
• Domino’s adds AI to phoned-in orders.  MediaPost
• BigCommerce raises $64M to power commerce sites.  TechCrunch

International

• Amazon plays catch-up in Brazil as local rivals thrive.  Reuters
• How China leapfrogged ahead of the United States in the finch race.  PIIE
• Muslim fashion is a $254B market – but big brands can’t crack it.  Fast Company
• Alibaba launches blockchain technology to improve supply chain integrity and enhance trust in platform.  The Drum