Prioritize location relative to ports/airports, carrier coverage, WMS and API integration, dock and staging capacity, SLA guarantees (order accuracy and ship-window), returns processing, and scalability for peak seasons. Also validate customs/bonded capabilities and real-time inventory visibility.

Closer proximity reduces drayage, shortens door-to-door transit, and enables faster consolidation or breakout for international lanes. This lowers transit costs and inventory-in-transit days, but operators should balance port access with facility rents and labor availability to optimize total landed cost.

On-island or near-dock sites deliver shorter last-mile times and lower transportation spend to dense urban customers, but often at higher rent and labor rates. Inland facilities offer lower occupancy costs and scale but increase transit times and last-mile expense; many networks use a hybrid model to balance speed and cost.

Require real-time WMS/API connectivity, EDI or modern webhooks for order flow, accurate inventory sync, and reporting. Key performance metrics include order accuracy, on-time ship rate, cut-off adherence, dock-turn times, receiving cycle time, and returns turnaround to measure operational reliability.