The Buen Fin 2026 , which will take place from November 13 to 17, represents a significant challenge for Mexican logistics, which does not end when the consumer pays online or when they leave a store with their purchase; on the contrary, this moment marks the beginning of a race against time: moving inventories, preparing orders, coordinating transportation and ensuring that each package arrives at its destination on time.
In a season where promotions aim to boost sales, the challenge for logistics companies is ensuring that the surge in orders doesn’t overwhelm their operational capacity . Planning, personnel, and last-mile delivery become crucial elements to prevent sales momentum from stalling before reaching the consumer.
“Logistical capacity isn’t improvised in November. It’s designed in advance, validated with data, and executed with discipline,” stated Alberto Hernández, commercial director of Onest SmartLogistics , explaining how the company is preparing to meet the demand generated by El Buen Fin.
For the 2026 edition of this discount campaign, Onest SmartLogistics anticipates a 20% increase in volume compared to the 2025 Buen Fin. To respond to this scenario, it has had to coordinate with its clients and logistics partners, as well as review resource availability to prevent the increase in orders from jeopardizing deliveries.
The forecast is significant considering the positive figures the campaign has achieved in past editions. According to the Mexican Online Sales Association (AMVO) , El Buen Fin 2025 generated sales of 219 billion pesos (MXN) , 26.6% more than in 2024, solidifying its position as one of the main consumer periods in the country.
The digital channel also gained ground. AMVO itself reported online sales of 45.9 billion pesos , a 31% increase compared to 2014 and equivalent to 21% of total campaign sales. This data confirms that a significant portion of the demand translates into orders that must be fulfilled, packaged, and delivered outside of physical retail establishments.
Three months to prepare the operation
Behind every order delivered lies a series of decisions that must be made before the offers begin. According to Hernández, preparation involves a minimum of 90 days’ notice and uses historical data from at least the last three years to consistently project demand growth and calculate staffing and resource needs for the season.
The goal is to anticipate how much demand could grow, how many people will be needed, what storage capacity will be available, and whether transport and distribution partners will be able to absorb the projected volumes.
One of the main challenges in managing the demands of El Buen Fin is having staff who understand the systems, processes, and quality standards required for its operation, particularly when dealing with high-value merchandise. “I believe the challenge is having the right personnel,” he stated.
The company has approximately 600,000 square meters (m2) of infrastructure nationwide, spread across 18 states . This capacity allows it to adjust resources across different operations, although the executive emphasized that flexibility depends on anticipating needs.
Sales growth is the goal of marketing campaigns, but for logistics, success requires another condition: having the capacity to fulfill what was sold.
“The truth is that the worst-case scenario won’t be selling little. The real worst-case scenario here is selling a lot, getting paid, and then realizing that you don’t have the capacity to deliver,” he warned.
In e-commerce, the delivery promise is an integral part of the shopping experience and a key performance indicator. Therefore, the effort invested in warehousing and order fulfillment is diminished if the order doesn’t arrive within the promised timeframe. This is particularly relevant, as, according to AMVO, seven out of ten shoppers prefer home delivery.
“If I receive on time, fulfill on time, plan on time, ship on time with a last-mile partner, but arrive late, all the effort is wasted,” he explained.
At this stage, coordination between the participants in the chain is essential.
Artificial intelligence to reduce friction
Technology is also gaining ground in season preparation, where artificial intelligence (AI) is used to query inventory information and support various operational, financial, and customer service tasks.
The company has a laboratory staffed by 28 systems engineers who develop solutions using proprietary code, enabling automated inventory queries by product code or SKU , with information on available merchandise, committed orders, shipments, and products still in transit. “That real-time information makes all the difference,” Hernández affirmed.
In that sense, AI agents are relevant, since they consult databases to meet operational requirements and inventory guarantees.
Sharing resources to contain costs
The increased activity during El Buen Fin can also put pressure on logistics costs . Last-minute staffing, the extraordinary use of transportation, and the need to expand operational spaces can increase the cost of the service if these needs are not anticipated.
To reduce that impact, Hernández explained that they have 19 distribution centers in the State of Mexico, the northern part of that state, Toluca, and Morelos, an area known as the “Golden Triangle.” “Having multi-client facilities allows us to guarantee operational synergies, reduce costs, labor, and time,” he asserted.
Early negotiation with suppliers is also part of the strategy, so the executive suggested an annual review of the purchasing conditions for packaging materials.
The growth of e-commerce does not eliminate the relevance of physical stores. On the contrary, omnichannel requires companies to be able to sell a product through different channels and fulfill orders using the most convenient option for the consumer.
According to Hernández, collaboration between retailers and their logistics partners should begin with reviewing the products that historically have the highest sales volume. With this information, it’s possible to anticipate inventory needs and prepare the resources to fulfill them quickly.
“What is your sales plan? What is your strategy to align us and have all those goods ready as close to the floor as possible so we can stock them as soon as possible and meet the delivery promise?” he asked.
The question sums up the challenge of the season: demand must translate into a ready-to-respond operation, not just a sales expectation.
In this way, the logistics sector is preparing to attend to El Buen Fin 2026, which is anticipated to surpass past editions, since, according to the AMVO, the intention to buy remains solid for this year : 77% of potential consumers have indicated that it is “very likely” or “likely” that they will participate in the campaign.
It is also expected to surpass the 216,000 establishments that participated in 2025, where more than 59 million transactions were recorded nationwide, even with an overall annual inflation rate of 3.62% in the first half of October 2026, and with private consumption showing signs of less dynamism.
In July alone, the Monthly Indicator of Private Consumption (IMCP), which tracks the evolution of household spending on consumer goods and services, both domestic and imported, reported a monthly variation of 0%, while its annual comparison showed a growth of only 1.1%, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) .
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