Prioritize throughput capacity (dock doors, conveyors), WMS integration and APIs, SLA guarantees for pick/pack and cutoffs, seasonal labor plans, cross-dock and staging capabilities, and reverse logistics processes. Also validate carrier lane density to ensure last-mile cost and transit-time targets are achievable.

Look for direct access to regional highways, dense LTL and parcel pickup schedules, ample trailer and staging capacity, and proximity to intermodal or regional distribution hubs. Facilities with established carrier relationships and scheduled consolidations typically yield lower parcel rates and faster delivery windows.

Lower rent and labor rates reduce per-unit storage and handling costs, but evaluate transportation trade-offs: increased mileage raises parcel spend. Optimize by modeling inventory days, storage density, and distribution frequency to determine the net cost impact on landed fulfillment economics.

Require real-time WMS/API connectivity, EDI or RESTful order flows, and daily inventory reconciliation. Monitor KPIs such as inventory accuracy, orders per hour, on-time fulfillment, cost per pick/pack, OTIF, and return processing time to ensure operational alignment and scalable performance.