One of Western Australia's most prominent fishing families will invest in tech company OpenDNA to provide marketing services and a Chinese mobile payment system to lure Chinese tourists.
OpenDNA, an artificial intelligence and e-commerce marketing company based in Singapore and listed on the ASX, will issue $500,000 worth of shares to the Thompson family at a price of 3.8 cents per share, a 2.7 per cent premium to its previous closing price.
David Thompson, Michael Thompson and Brent Thompson are the co-owners of the Lobster Shack restaurant and Indian Ocean Rock Lobster processing and export facility, both of which are located in the coastal town of Cervantes.
Under the agreement, OpenDNA will implement a China payments processing system (including WeChat & Alipay) into the Lobster Shack, and it will also develop strategic initiatives and marketing materials aimed at Chinese tourists.
In return, it will receive a commission on the sale of all products sold through the mobile payment platform.
OpenDNA managing director Bryan Carr said the company was excited to be working with the Lobster Shack which is an iconic tourist destination for Chinese tourists.
David Thompson said Chinese tourists formed a significant part of the Lobster Shack's business.
“We serve over 1,000 meals in a day during our peak periods and Chinese tourists form the largest segment of our market and so being able to market directly to more Chinese travelers and accept payments using WeChat Pay and Alipay is an exciting prospect for us,” he said.
Late last year, David Thompson was a prominent critic of Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly’s failed-plans for the government to take a 17 per cent slice of the state’s lobster trade.
