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The global fishing tackle industry is entering a new phase. One defined not only by what products are made, but also by how they are marketed, sold and discovered.
It’s clear to me from what businesses are approaching Angling International for exposure that direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) channels are no longer a side experiment. They are actively reshaping the economics of tackle, the power balance between brands and retailers and the expectations of anglers themselves. Are you ready for this new reality? If not, time is running out for you to adapt.
I am not saying it’s time to abandon traditional B2B routes to market. But you do need to understand how B2B is changing—and how new business partners now sit alongside traditional ones.
For decades, the tackle trade has been built on layered routes to market: manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, buying groups, independent retailers and specialist chains. These structures did more than move product. They safeguarded consumers, provided local expertise, absorbed risk, financed stock, educated anglers and built communities around the sport.
Those roles still matter.
What has changed is that brands now have alternative ways to reach anglers directly – ways that offer higher margins, richer data and greater control over storytelling. It means that today’s successful tackle brands increasingly work with multiple routes to market at once: traditional retail, specialist e‑commerce, marketplaces, events, media platforms and their own D2C channels. Each plays a different role. Each adds value in different ways.
Understanding where those routes help—and where they harm—is now a core strategic skill.
Across the industry, I think I see four clear examples of how traditional channels are being challenged, disrupted or re‑imagined – for better and for worse.
1. Amazon: Scale, Convenience and Brutal Transparency
Amazon has normalised fast delivery, endless choice and aggressive price comparison. For anglers, it offers convenience. For brands, it offers reach. For traditional retailers, it often represents margin pressure and loss of control. Amazon rewards operational excellence, not brand romance. Listings matter more than catalogues. Reviews matter more than reps. Data matters more than heritage. Some tackle brands thrive on Amazon by treating it as a distinct channel with its own pricing, packaging and product strategy. Others damage their wider business by allowing uncontrolled discounting and channel conflict. Amazon is neither hero nor villain—but it is unavoidable.
2. Asian Marketplaces: TEMU and the Price Shock
Platforms like TEMU have introduced a different kind of disruption: extreme price anchoring. Ultra‑low prices, factory‑direct sourcing and viral marketing have changed consumer expectations almost overnight. For established tackle brands, this raises uncomfortable questions about perceived value, IP protection and long‑term brand trust. For retailers, it creates difficult conversations with increasingly price‑sensitive customers. At the same time, these platforms expose inefficiencies in traditional supply chains and highlight just how much of the final retail price has historically been absorbed before a product ever reached an angler. Ignoring this shift is not a strategy.
3. New‑Style Consumer Shows: Influencers at the Centre
The classic trade show model – rows of booths, dealer meetings, closed doors – is being challenged by consumer‑first events built around creators, personalities and live engagement. These shows blur the line between marketing and retail. They generate instant content, direct sales and real‑time feedback. They also favour brands that understand storytelling, community and creator partnerships. For some traditional players, this feels chaotic. For others, it represents a powerful new way to connect with anglers without intermediaries. The question is no longer whether influencers matter – but how professionally brands choose to work with them.
4. Media Brands Launching Tackle Ranges
Perhaps the most telling shift of all is when media brands – built on trust, authority and loyal followings – launch their own tackle products. This is D2C in its purest form: audience first, product second. These brands don’t need awareness campaigns. They don’t need traditional advertising. They convert attention directly into sales, often with remarkable efficiency. For the wider trade, this trend challenges long‑held assumptions about who gets to be a tackle brand – and where real influence now sits.
A Direct Call to D2C Platforms
Here’s my message to the new players. If you operate a D2C platform – whether digital or physical – you are now part of the tackle trade. With that comes responsibility, and opportunity. Brands need to know:
- Who you reach
- Where you reach them
- What kind of anglers engage with you
- What commercial services you offer beyond simple access
If you want brand budgets, partnerships and long-term credibility, you must articulate your value clearly. Angling International is where you do that.
Our audience is the global decision-makers of the tackle industry: brand owners, commercial directors, sales leaders, distributors and investors who are actively deciding where to place their attention, inventory and spend. Use our pages to explain your reach, your services and your role in the evolving route-to-market mix.
Our Commitment to Brands
To tackle brands navigating this complexity, our commitment is simple. We will help you:
- Understand which platforms add value – and which merely add noise
- Balance D2C ambition with channel responsibility
- Identify partners that complement, rather than cannibalise, your existing routes to market
We are not here to pick sides. We are here to map the landscape as it actually exists – and to help the industry move forward with clarity rather than ideology.
Welcome to Angling International in 2026. Where the tackle trade connects.
