El Buen Fin
Mexico’s biggest weekend of deals
Every November, millions of Mexicans wait for a long weekend to upgrade their phone, buy a new TV or get their Christmas shopping done early. It’s El Buen Fin, Mexico’s biggest retail event. And for any brand selling there, it’s the campaign of the year.
What is El Buen Fin?
El Buen Fin (“the good weekend”) is an annual programme of discounts and promotions held in Mexico every November. It was launched in 2011 through an agreement between the federal government and the private sector, including business bodies such as the Business Coordinating Council, ANTAD, Coparmex and Concanaco Servytur.
It was inspired by Black Friday in the United States, but it has its own date: the long weekend before Mexican Revolution Day on 20 November. The goal was, and still is, to boost spending and support businesses ahead of the Christmas season.
Big chains, department stores, online retailers and thousands of small businesses all take part. Profeco, Mexico’s consumer protection agency, checks that deals are genuine and that advertised prices are honoured.
Plan your El Buen Fin campaign
Announce your deals, open a pre-sale for your subscribers and send reminders by email and SMS. With Mailrelay you can send up to 80,000 emails a month for free.
Create a free accountEl Buen Fin 2026 dates
The 2026 edition runs from Friday 13 to Tuesday 17 November. That’s five days, with Monday 16 a public holiday for Revolution Day.
According to this year’s announcement, the edition focuses on micro, small and medium-sized businesses and on “Made in Mexico” products. The tax authority (SAT) raffle is also back, with 500 million pesos in prizes for shoppers who pay by card at participating stores.
El Buen Fin in numbers
The event keeps growing. In 2019 sales were around 118 billion pesos, with some 115,000 participating businesses.
In 2025, according to Concanaco Servytur, El Buen Fin closed with record sales of 219 billion pesos, 46 billion more than the year before. Around 216,000 businesses took part, 13% more than in 2024. Credit and debit cards were the most used payment method, and about a third of companies hired temporary staff for those days.
El Buen Fin also kicks off a very busy season. Black Friday follows two weeks later, falling on 27 November in 2026, and then the Christmas campaign begins.
How to plan an email campaign for El Buen Fin
With five days of deals and fierce competition, email marketing is your best ally for reaching customers before anyone else. Here’s the sequence we suggest:
Start one or two weeks ahead with a teaser. Announce that you’re taking part, preview a deal and ask contacts to subscribe so they get the offers first.
Between 10 and 12 November, open a pre-sale for your best customers. A few hours’ head start makes them feel special. And it helps you spread the order load.
On Friday 13, first thing in the morning, send the launch email with your star deals and back it up with an SMS or a WhatsApp message, a very popular channel in Mexico.
Over the weekend, send reminders with new deals and switch on your abandoned cart emails. Tuesday 17 is the time for your “last day” message, with a clear countdown in the subject line.
Afterwards, thank customers for their purchase and pave the way for Black Friday and Christmas.
Tips to stand out in the inbox
Be clear about prices. Show the original price and the discounted price, and explain the conditions. It’s what Profeco expects and it builds trust. If you offer interest-free instalments (meses sin intereses), say so in the subject line or the preheader: it’s one of the most effective hooks.
Segment your list. Your customers in Mexico should get the El Buen Fin campaign; the rest of your contacts probably shouldn’t. You can refine it further by interest categories or past purchases.
Get the timing right. Mexico City is on UTC-6 all year round, so schedule your sends for that time zone, not your office’s.
Because every brand sends more email in these days, look after your deliverability too. Clean your list, check your authentication and don’t double your volume overnight. Don’t wait untill the last minute: review your past campaign metrics to spot problems in time.
How Mailrelay helps
With Mailrelay you can build your whole El Buen Fin campaign from a single dashboard. You create a group with your customers in Mexico, design the emails in our editor and schedule each send for the exact day and time. You combine email and SMS, and our real-time reports show which deal performs best.
On top of that, the free plan includes up to 80,000 emails a month and 20,000 contacts, with support in English, Spanish and other languages on every account.
Get your El Buen Fin campaign there first
Segment your customers in Mexico, schedule your deals and track every send in real time. Get started with Mailrelay for free.
Try Mailrelay for freeEl Buen Fin FAQ
When is El Buen Fin 2026? From Friday 13 to Tuesday 17 November 2026.
Is El Buen Fin the same as Black Friday? No. El Buen Fin is a Mexican programme held before Revolution Day. Black Friday is American and falls on 27 November in 2026, although many stores in Mexico also run it.
Who organises El Buen Fin? The federal government, through the Ministry of Economy, together with business organisations such as Concanaco Servytur.
Can any business take part? Yes. Stores register on the official El Buen Fin portal, and online shops and small businesses can join too.
In short
El Buen Fin is the biggest retail opportunity of the year in Mexico. If you have customers there, plan ahead, reach your subscribers before the competition and stay with them by email and SMS throughout the five days of deals.