Twelve people tried it, one bought it, and the pair is now B-grade

Nobody buys shoes without trying them, so trials cannot be reduced. What can be managed is which pairs take the wear, and what happens to them afterwards.

The invisible downgrade

A pair used for display for six weeks is not the same product as a sealed pair, but the stock record says it is. At sale it goes out at full price to a customer who notices, or at a discount that is never attributed to display wear.

One display pair per style

Obvious and frequently not enforced, because on a busy day whatever is nearest gets opened. Recording which pair is the display pair makes the discipline checkable rather than aspirational.

The by-product worth having

Trial counts per style measure interest independently of sales. A style tried often and bought rarely is telling you something specific — usually about fit or price — that a low sales figure alone does not distinguish from low interest.