Trustnet Magazine 59 February 2020 | Page 16

Advertorial feature There is more of a culture of people entertaining, eating out and having food delivered, rather than cooking for themselves [ BAILLIE GIFFORD ] 16 / 17 can see when customers receive the wrong food, if an order is not delivered, or if a certain dish leads to very negative customer reviews. By gathering all the data across its network, Delivery Hero can help its restaurants tailor their menu offering, improve food quality and build a loyal customer base. Taking food distribution to another level, Meituan Dianping is the largest food delivery company in China, managing over 30 million orders a day. In China, there is more of a culture of people entertaining, eating out and having food delivered, rather than cooking for themselves. Many people order three meals a day. To meet this demand, Meituan has a delivery fleet of over 500,000 drivers, who can complete an on- demand delivery within an average of 30 minutes, thanks to its AI-enabled ‘Super Brain’ engine that figures out the fastest delivery route for an order within 0.55 milliseconds. But the company is not stopping there. In an attempt to cut costs even further, work is underway on developing a fleet of autonomous, food delivery robots, which can even use elevators. This trend is already influencing the way new homes are designed in China. Watch this space. The views expressed in this article should not be considered as advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a particular investment. The article contains information and opinion on investments that does not constitute independent investment research, and is therefore not subject to the protections afforded to independent research. Investments with exposure to overseas securities can be affected by changing stock market conditions and currency exchange rates. Investing in emerging markets is only suitable for those investors prepared to accept a higher level of risk. This is because difficulties in dealing, settlement and custody could arise, resulting in a negative impact on the value of your investment. Some of the views expressed are not necessarily those of Baillie Gifford. Investment markets and conditions can change rapidly, therefore the views expressed should not be taken as statements of fact nor should reliance be placed on them when making investment decisions. Baillie Gifford & Co Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The investments trusts managed by Baillie Gifford & Co Limited are listed UK companies and are not authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A Key Information Document is available by visiting www.bailliegifford.com TRUSTNET trustnet.com