If you’re testing buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) workflows for a smaller department store group, the “best free platform” usually depends on whether you want to simulate the full commerce flow or just test pickup operations/integration.

Here are the strongest free or low-cost options to consider:

1. Shopify (free trial + partner/dev stores)

Best for: Fast BOPIS workflow prototyping, easy setup, non-technical teams
Why it’s good:

• Very quick to configure
• Native pickup in store support
• Good for testing customer checkout, store selection, inventory availability, notifications
• Large app ecosystem if you need to extend functionality

Limits:

• Not truly free long-term on production
• Some pickup/omnichannel features depend on plan or apps
• Best for workflow testing, not enterprise-grade POS complexity

2. WooCommerce + free plugins

Best for: Lower-cost testing with flexibility
Why it’s good:

• WooCommerce itself is free
• You can add pickup functionality with free or freemium plugins
• Good if your team wants control over the storefront and workflows

Limits:

• More setup and maintenance effort
• Pickup functionality quality varies by plugin
• Inventory-by-store and operational workflows may require custom work

3. Square Online

Best for: Simple small-retail BOPIS testing
Why it’s good:

• Free plan available
• Built-in support for in-store pickup
• Easy for smaller stores and teams already using Square POS

Limits:

• Less flexible than Shopify/WooCommerce
• Advanced omnichannel testing can be limited
• Some features require paid tiers

4. Lightspeed Retail / Lightspeed eCom trials

Best for: Small chains that want POS + commerce alignment
Why it’s good:

• Retail-focused
• Pickup workflows can map well to store operations
• Better if you care about inventory and store fulfillment processes

Limits:

• Usually trial-based rather than permanently free
• Can be more complex than needed for a small proof of concept

5. BigCommerce trial

Best for: Testing scalable commerce with BOPIS concepts
Why it’s good:

• Strong commerce capabilities
• Good API support for custom pickup workflow testing
• Useful if you want something that could scale beyond pilot

Limits:

• Not free long-term
• Often more platform than a small group needs for initial testing

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Best practical picks by use case

If you want the fastest, easiest test:

• Shopify
• Square Online

If you want maximum flexibility and low cost:

• WooCommerce

If you want retail/POS-centric testing:

• Square Online
• Lightspeed

If you want to test a future enterprise-style rollout:

• BigCommerce trial
• Shopify with custom apps/integration

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What to look for in a BOPIS test platform

For smaller department stores, the platform should let you test:

• Store-level inventory visibility
• Pickup location selection
• Order routing to a store
• Staff notifications / fulfillment queue
• Pickup status updates
• Customer email/SMS notifications
• Order readiness and handoff workflow
• Cancellations and substitutions
• Partial fulfillment if inventory is split across stores

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My recommendation

For a smaller department store group, I’d usually start with:

1. Shopify if you want the smoothest test environment
2. Square Online if you need a free/simple retail setup
3. WooCommerce if you want the most control and lowest software cost

If you want, I can also give you a side-by-side comparison table of these platforms specifically for:

• cost
• setup effort
• BOPIS support
• inventory by store
• best fit for department store groups