Prioritize dock and throughput capacity, integration capabilities (WMS and carrier APIs), slotting and racking that match SKU profiles, SLA performance for order cutoffs, and contingency plans for weather and road access. Also review labor models, peak season scalability, and value‑added service availability such as kitting and returns handling.

Transit times influence inventory carrying and safety stock needs; closer port access reduces ocean and feeder transit charges and lowers exposure to demurrage. Include carrier density, frequency of feeder services, and last‑mile tariffs when modeling landed cost to capture realistic total distribution expense.

Look for bonded or customs‑approved facilities, documented customs brokerage partnerships, on‑site compliance expertise, secure storage for deferred duties, and hardened IT for audit trails. These features enable deferred duty models, improve cash flow, and simplify cross‑border replenishment.

Track fill rate, on‑time shipments, order cycle time, pick accuracy, cost per order (including storage and handling), and labor productivity. Consider metrics for damage rate and return processing time. If helpful, evaluate a concise scorecard that weights cost versus SLA adherence for peak windows.