Assess location and transit connectivity, real estate layout (racking, dock doors), WMS integration and API support, staffing and labor flexibility, SLA metrics (OTD, accuracy), insurance and liability terms, pricing transparency (storage, handling, value‑adds), and capabilities for returns and temperature control.

Vienna's airport freight lanes, major motorways and rail links reduce transit times across Central and Eastern Europe, widen carrier choices for FTL/LTL/airfreight, and can lower landed costs through optimized routing and consolidation versus single-mode longhaul.

Prioritize a modern WMS with inventory visibility and EDI/API connectivity, validated pick/pack and returns workflows, cross-dock and bonded storage options, temperature-controlled zones if required, and access to automation (sortation, conveyors) matched to your order profile.

Use cost-per-order and per-pallet storage models, normalize quotes for expected SKU velocity and seasonality, require historical SLA reports (accuracy, lead time), conduct site visits or pilots, and include termination and scalability terms to quantify total cost of ownership.