Evaluate next‑day and two‑day postal reach, average trunk transit times to major hubs, and LTL lane frequencies. Ask providers for zone‑based transit maps, carrier contract relationships, and historical on‑time delivery stats to quantify coverage and predictability.

Require pick‑accuracy, inventory accuracy, order cycle time, OTIF (on‑time in‑full) and returns processing SLAs. Include chargeback thresholds, incident response times, and reporting cadence so performance ties to contractual remedies and continuous improvement plans.

Compare inventory carrying cost versus last‑mile transport savings, customer delivery promises, and SKU velocity. Model scenario costs including safety stock, replenishment frequency, and parcel zone charges to decide whether decentralization or a hub‑and‑spoke design yields lower total landed cost.