Prioritize location relative to your customer base and carrier lanes, WMS and integration capabilities, throughput and dock capacity, value-added services (kitting, reverse logistics), labor reliability, and transparent cost structures that let you model cost-to-serve per channel.

Lane density and proximity to main highways reduce empty-miles and improve rate leverage with carriers. Better carrier access from a given location typically lowers per-shipment costs and shortens transit windows, improving predictability for B2B deliveries.

Look for a robust WMS with APIs, sufficient dock doors and cross-dock capacity, pallet racking and slotting optimization, configurable pick-and-pack processes, quality control zones, and scalable labor management to maintain throughput during peak periods.

Negotiate clear SLAs for OTIF and order accuracy, detailed storage and activity chargebacks, minimum throughput or flexible tiers, inventory accuracy targets, charge dispute processes, and regular performance reviews tied to defined KPIs such as order cycle time and cost-per-order.