Verify WMS integration, real-time inventory visibility, dock-door ratio, racking and cold-storage availability, SLA definitions for pick/pack/ship, and contingency plans for carrier disruptions. Also confirm reporting cadence and KPIs tied to chargebacks and service credits.

Costs are often lower than major metropolitan hubs due to labor and real-estate differentials. Model labor productivity, inbound/outbound handling rates, storage density, value-add services, and regional transportation spend to forecast total landed cost rather than base rent alone.

Confirm accessibility to primary arterial roads, frequency of regional carrier departures, customs brokerage partnerships, container deconsolidation capabilities, and trucking capacity for peak seasons. Evaluate lead-time variability and multi-modal routing options.

Require real-time inventory sync, distributed order management, batch and lot traceability, returns processing workflows, barcode/RFID support, and API/EDI connectivity for order orchestration. Insist on automated exception handling and transparent chargeback mechanisms.