EL BUEN FIN: THE NUMBERS BEHIND MEXICO’S “CONSUMER THERMOMETER”

In 2024, it broke records once again, and in 2025 it will expand to five days of sales, feature a “Made in Mexico” label, and set the bar even higher. What do the numbers say, and what should logistics expect from the fifteenth edition? Here’s the essential overview.

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2024: Record Confirmed and a Higher Baseline for 2025

Mexico’s Ministry of Economy closed 2024 with official figures: 173.8 billion pesos in total sales, a 15.5% annual increase, with electronics as the most in-demand category. This leap cements November as the month that, in practice, kicks off the local holiday season at the cash register.

The split between large retail chains and stores outside of ANTAD (the National Association of Self-Service and Department Stores) revealed both the event’s broad reach and the acceleration of the digital channel. Online store visits surpassed 110 million, compared to 28 million in-person visits during the four days of the 2024 El Buen Fin in the ANTAD universe, a clear sign that purchase decisions are increasingly made on screens.

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E-commerce and Omnichannel: From “Alternative” to Standard

The weight of the online channel is no longer anecdotal. In 2022, digital sales reached 23.7 billion pesos through 19.9 million transactions, about 18% of the total campaign. Since then, subsequent editions have shown double-digit e-commerce growth, confirming that one out of every five pesos spent during El Buen Fin is decided online.

Operationally, this translates into clear demands: unified inventory systems, realistic delivery promises, and options such as buy online, pick up in store. The massive digital traffic of 2024, more than 110 million visits to ANTAD member websites, suggests that even in-store purchases often begin with online price comparisons and saved carts.

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The Logistics Test: Last Mile, Peaks, and Returns

El Buen Fin puts last-mile logistics to the test: concentrated orders, compressed delivery windows, and urban bottlenecks. The results are measured in punctuality and after-sales service. In 2023, Profeco (the Federal Consumer Protection Agency) recorded 410 complaints during the event, 21% fewer than in 2022, successfully resolving 310 on the spot. The most common issues were price discrepancies, canceled orders, and unfulfilled offers. While small relative to the total number of transactions, these cases reveal where promises break down.

The message for 2025 is clear: focus on capacity planning, urban micro-fulfillment for top sellers, dynamic routing, and frictionless reverse logistics. If the consumer feels that the discount arrives late or never arrives at all, demand elasticity evaporates in complaints or returns. The trust that El Buen Fin has earned year after year depends not on advertising banners, but on delivery performance.

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Consumer Protection: Oversight and Institutional Learning

Profeco’s oversight operations have become more professional, with on-site modules in shopping centers, ad monitoring, and real-time dispute resolution. In 2024, various reports documented hundreds of complaints, mainly from major chains due to their scale, but also showed strong recovery results for consumers and the deployment of personnel that discourages abuse. Profeco’s annual guide, “Who’s Who in Prices,” has become a reference for comparing TVs, cell phones, and other products prone to pre-event price increases.

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2025: Five Days, Ambitious Goals, and “Made in Mexico”

The fifteenth edition will be held from November 13 to 17, 2025, confirming an extension to five days, a nod to pent-up demand and to the logistics operations that need more time to deliver. Public projections aim to surpass 200 billion pesos in total sales.

This year, the campaign will also integrate the “Made in Mexico” label as a unifying element to promote domestic content and strengthen the internal market, aligned with the national industrial agenda. The goal is clear: more Mexican-made products on shelves and in shopping carts, with full alignment among retailers and chambers of commerce.

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What Does This Mean for Sellers (and Their Logistics)?

1) Inventory and pricing with precision. With five days of activity, front-loaded inventory must be more surgical. Retailers should avoid stockouts during peak Friday and Saturday hours without inflating carrying costs for the rest of the month. Public price comparisons penalize “inflate and discount” strategies.

2) Reinforced and flexible last mile. Anticipate urban clusters with proximity nodes (dark stores and micro-fulfillment centers), ship-from-store capabilities in branches with space, and real-time telemetry routing. Delivery punctuality at D+1 or D+2 defines NPS and December repurchase potential.

3) Seamless omnichannel experience. If 2024 generated more than 110 million digital visits in four days, 2025 will demand a unified storefront: per-store availability, same-day pickup, and returns that don’t send customers back to call centers.

4) Risk and commercial compliance. Implement antifraud checkout protocols, advertising monitoring, and a crisis desk with legal and customer service teams. Evidence shows that complaints decrease when resolution is immediate and pricing systems are consistent.

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The New Consumer: Smarter and More Connected

The learning curve is evident: fewer complaints each year and greater use of official comparison tools. Consumers plan, compare, and pay where the promise, delivery and returns, is clear. For brands, the challenge is not only winning the click but delivering the promise with surgical precision.

El Buen Fin is no longer won by announcing discounts, but by the logistics that make them real. 2024 set a high benchmark. 2025 adds more time on the calendar and a new narrative of national production. Those who enter with defensible prices, visible inventory, and a fine-tuned last mile will capitalize on the event that now serves as the most reliable thermometer of domestic consumption in Mexico.