The most important e-commerce dates in Mexico

Have you heard about El Buen Fin and Hot Sales in Mexico? Well, we have listed 10 shopping holidays and dates that e-commerces can’t miss there.

João Paulo Notini
February 24, 2022
7 min read

The Mexican e-commerce potential is undeniable. Our Beyond Borders study reported that as per the third quarter of the last year, Mexico had a USD 49.6 billion market with an annual growth of 32%.

Currently the second largest e-commerce market of Latin America, Mexico has many holidays and special dates that are attractive to e-commerce. Here in this article we will show you in a chronological order the most important ones and some statistics that might help you understand how big is the opportunity there. 

King’s Day – January 6th

The King’s Day or “Día de Reyes” in Spanish is the first special date for e-commerce and other businesses in Mexico. Associated with the traditional Christian feast day of Epiphany, and based on the Bible’s narrative, this day is dedicated to the arrival of the three kings that brought presents to the baby Jesus. Additionally, it is common that during its celebration, kids in Mexico and other Latin American countries receive gifts. 

So, why must you be aware of this holiday? The president of the Mexican National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Concanaco-Servytur), Héctor Tejada Shaar, said that there are estimatives pointing out that the 2022 Día de Reyes will generate more than 17,7 billion Mexican Pesos (almost USD 1 billion) in sales.

Valentine’s Day – February 14th

Valentine’s Day is well known and celebrated in several countries worldwide but, in Mexico and some Latin American countries such as Ecuador, it is intended to celebrate not only romantic relationships but the bond with family and friends. For this reason, Mexicans call it “El Día del Amor y la Amistad” (The Day of Love and Friendship). 

Just as it happens in many other countries, this is an important date for e-commerces and other commercial businesses. Take note that for 2022, the Día del Amor y Amistad is expected to generate around 1,77 billion Mexican Pesos in activities related to it (77% more than what was recorded in 2021), according to La Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico de la Ciudad de México (Sedeco).

Easter’s Week – April 10th to April 17th

Easter is one of the most important holidays for Christians worldwide and one of the most famous religious events in Mexico. This year, Easter, or Páscua in Spanish, will take place on Sunday, April 17th, but the holidays start a week earlier, on the 10th. 

A Nielsen report showed that, usually, 8 out 10 Mexican families spend between 100 and 450 US Dollars during Easter and that these spents are mainly on travel, food and restaurants. 

Interestingly, according to Diego Páramos, Co-founder and VP of Sales and Partnerships of Poder I.O (a prediction as a service platform), online searches increase 15 days before Easter’s Week starts. More so, a great share of these searches are related to fashion apparels, food and travel promotions. 

Children’s Day – April 30th

Children’s Day is a commemorative date that takes place in many countries, although on different dates. Celebrated annually in honor of all children, this day is named “Día del Niño” in Mexico. 

According to Concanaco-Servytur, last year, Children’s Day was expected to bring on 12 billion Mexican Pesos (almost USD 600 million in sales by that time). A Nielsen study, moreover, showed that for this special date 60% of Mexican parents rather give candies and games to their kids, 19% fashion apparels, and 11% electronic gadgets. 

Mother’s Day – May 10th

Mother ‘s Day is another holiday that is observed in different forms across many countries. It is called “Día de las Madres” in Spanish and, despite being a dedicated day for motherhood, it is a great opportunity for e-commerces.

A survey conducted by Adolcony and released by Adsmovil reported that 63% of the Mexicans interviewed would make an online purchase online for Mother’s Day last year.  More so, 72% of shoppers rather buy gifts through mobile devices which strengthens the online mobile shopping trend that is happening not only in Mexico, but all over Latin America.

Finally, just for your reference, in 2021 Concanaco-Servytur estimated that this date would be generating 33 billion Mexican Pesos (approximately USD 1,4 billion) in sales. Impressive, right?

Hot Sale – May 23rd to May 31st 

Hot Sale is an annual shopping holiday created and organized by the Mexican Association of Online Sales (AMVO), which is driving e-commerce sales in Mexico through promotions and discounts. Since its launch way back in 2014, this event became one of the most important exclusive shopping days in the country, after El Buen Fin. 

AMVO reported that last year ‘s edition reached 18,56 billion Mexican Pesos in sales (almost USD 1 billion) which was 15% more than in 2020. It is important to note that 68% of these sales came from retail businesses, followed by travel (26%) and other industries (6%). Moreover, according to an AMNVO’s survey, 89% of the shoppers have bought something online during the 2021 Hot Sales, which proves how crucial this shopping holiday is for e-commerces. 

El Buen Fin – November 18th to November 21st

Let’s say that El Buen Fin (or “The The Good Weekend”) is the Mexican version of Black Friday. Created in 2011 to boost the local economy, it became a must for all e-commerces. So, bear in mind that this special date is always celebrated the third weekend of November and it is considered the most important weekend for all Mexicans in regards to shopping. Why? The numbers don’t lie: 191,9 billion Mexican Pesos (almost USD 9,5 billion) in sales last year, according to AMVO.

When we look exclusively at online sales, the numbers are also very impressive. The 2021 edition registered a 45% increase in digital sales compared to 2020 with a total of 31,7 billion Mexican Pesos (USD 1,5 billion dollars). More so, 4 out of 10 shoppers have bought something on the internet during that period. 

Now, you might be wondering: which categories of products were the most purchased during such an important shopping holiday? Here goes a top 10 list:

  • Fashion Apparels – 50%
  • Electronics – 35%
  • Beauty and Cosmetics – 24%
  • Cellphones – 23%
  • Electrodomestics – 22%
  • Grocery – 20%
  • Home Appliances – 18%
  • Games – 18%
  • Consoles and Video Games – 12%
Source: AMVO

Black Friday – November 25th 

El Buen Fin finishes and four days later Black Friday begins. Created in the United States, it takes place after Thanksgiving and has been adopted by several countries worldwide, including Mexico. A survey from Finder showed that 34% of Mexican adults would buy something during last year’s edition. Additionally, a report from Statista pointed out that in 2019, Black Friday online transactions had a 167% growth in sales when compared to a normal day. 

Thus, although we don’t have the total number of sales generated last year, the bottom line is that this shopping date can’t be ignored by any e-commerce in Mexico. 

Cyber Monday – November 28th

As you might have noticed, November is the golden month for e-commerce in Mexico. So, like many other countries, the last shopping opportunity in this month is Cyber Monday, which happens on the Monday following the Black Friday. 

Cyber Monday is another shopping holiday created in the United States, where e-commerces has the chance to promote great deals.  Happening in many countries worldwide, in Mexico, this sales opportunity is adopted by local and global players such as:  Amazon México, Liverpool, Sears, Walmart México, Apple, Ticketmaster, etc.

Christmas – December 25th

Christmas, the famous religious holiday and worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. Called “Navidad” in Spanish, celebrations happen all over Mexico and, of course, it is the last chance in the year for businesses to have a boost on their sales. 

Typically, all deals and promotions start a week or two before, and the potential is huge. According to Concanaco-Servytur, last year’s estimates were that Christmas would have generated more than 500 billion Mexican Pesos in sales (aproximately USD 24,6 billion) for commerce and services. Unbelievable, right? 

This is surely the most important shopping holiday for e-commerces in Mexico along with El Buen Fin. Thus, take some time to plan a great campaign for it! 

Conclusion

Today you had the opportunity to have a complete overview of the best shopping holidays and special dates for e-commerces in Mexico. We can say that there will be a chance to boost your sales almost every month of the year, but bear in mind that campaigns and promotions must be adapted to each of them.

Mexico is a market with huge potential for local and global digital commerce and if you want to dive even further into the opportunities in this country, then have a look at our whitepaper about how you can do business there.

Everything about doing business in Mexico

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João Paulo Notini
João Paulo Notini
Senior Content Marketing | Cross-Border operations at EBANX

Mexico - Payments & Market

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