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<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/</loc>
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<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/5-automation-workflows-every-e-commerce-store-should-have.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-05-31T14:50:50+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/4/Automations-every-store-needs.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/4/Inventory-sync-across-channels.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[Diagram showing a single sale triggering an instant stock update across own store, Amazon, and eBay, contrasted with a slow nightly sync.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/4/Abandoned-cart-recovery.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[Timeline of a three-email abandoned cart recovery sequence at 1 hour, 24 hours, and 72 hours, with a stop rule for non-responders.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/conversational-ai-and-chatbots-was-marketing-profis-2025-wissen-muessen.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-05-29T23:22:54+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/2/Conversational-AI-Chatbots-885x497.webp</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/dont-build-your-audience-on-rented-land.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-07T13:48:40+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/96/Dont-Build-Your-Audience-on-Rented-Land.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[Don't Build Your Audience on Rented Land]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/96/same-writing-different-week.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A reach chart showing several posts around three to four thousand, then a sudden cliff to about seventy, with a note that no reason was given.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/96/your-plattform-your-rules.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A hub-and-spoke diagram with the owned website at the centre and platforms as outer channels whose arrows point back home.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/event-driven-vs-scheduled-automation-explained.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-05T12:09:38+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/7/Event-Driven-vs-Scheduled-Automation-Explained.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[Two metaphors side by side: a scheduled automation as an alarm clock that runs at a set time, and an event-driven automation as a doorbell that runs the instant something happens.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/7/the-alarm-clock.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[Two metaphors side by side: a scheduled automation as an alarm clock that runs at a set time, and an event-driven automation as a doorbell that runs the instant something happens.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/7/The-one-question-that-decides-it.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A decision diagram asking what it costs to be out of date, branching to scheduled automation for low-cost delays and event-driven for expensive ones.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/how-i-think-about-automation-in-e-commerce.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-05-30T15:21:05+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/3/how-i-think-about-automation.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[Diagram classifying a team's working time into judgment, system-mediated, and transfer tasks, with transfer tasks marked as the first to automate.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/3/classify-before-making-decision.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[Diagram classifying a team's working time into judgment, system-mediated, and transfer tasks, with transfer tasks marked as the first to automate.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/3/what-to-automate-2.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A 2x2 matrix plotting frequency against judgment required, showing which e-commerce tasks to automate first and which to keep human.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/how-to-run-an-automation-audit-on-your-own-team-in-two-weeks.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-09T23:14:09+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/8/How-to-Run-an-Automation-Audit-on-Your-Own-Team-in-Two-Weeks.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A discovery diagram showing a few obvious tasks above a line and dozens of small hidden tasks below, illustrating that most automatable work is invisible.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/8/Why-the-audit-comes-before-the-tools.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A discovery diagram showing a few obvious tasks above a line and dozens of small hidden tasks below, illustrating that most automatable work is invisible.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/8/classify-test-and-cost.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A two-week audit timeline: week one to track work in 15-minute blocks, week two to classify, apply the sick-day test, and cost the candidates.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/make-vs-zapier-vs-n8n-when-each-one-is-the-right-call.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-19T18:58:42+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/12/make-vs-zapier-vs-n8n.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[make vs zapier vs n8n]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/12/which-automation-to-choose.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[The same ten-step workflow counted three ways: as ten tasks on Zapier, ten operations on Make, and one execution on n8n.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/12/how-to-pick-the-right-tool-for-automation.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A three-column decision guide showing when Zapier, Make, or n8n is the right automation tool based on team skill, workflow complexity, volume, and data sensitivity.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/page/2/</loc>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/post-purchase-is-the-most-under-automated-moment-in-e-commerce.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-14T15:44:40+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/10/the-most-under-automated-moment.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A customer-journey bar showing heavy automation before purchase and an almost-empty post-purchase half with just a confirmation email, marking the gap as the opportunity.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/10/Why-the-post-purchase-gap-exists.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A customer-journey bar showing heavy automation before purchase and an almost-empty post-purchase half with just a confirmation email, marking the gap as the opportunity.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/10/What-actually-belongs-in-the-gap.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A post-purchase timeline of what to automate: order confirmation, shipping updates, proactive exception alerts, a delivery-triggered review request, and relevant follow-up.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/the-error-notification-is-the-workflow.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-04T01:05:07+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/6/The-error-notification-is-the-workflow.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A before/after comparison showing a manual process failing visibly versus a silent automation failure that nobody notices until a customer is affected.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/6/silent-failure-is-worse-than-no-automation.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A before/after comparison showing a manual process failing visibly versus a silent automation failure that nobody notices until a customer is affected.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/6/What-a-monitoring-step-actually-is-2.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[Three monitoring habits for automations: catch the error, watch for silence with a heartbeat, and make sure a human sees the alert.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/the-five-things-you-should-never-automate.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-12T16:00:22+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/9/5-things-never-automate.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A spectrum of customer interactions from routine (safe to automate) to emotional and novel (keep human), with the line marked where to route to a person.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/9/Emotionally-charged-customer-moments.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[ spectrum of customer interactions from routine (safe to automate) to emotional and novel (keep human), with the line marked where to route to a person.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/9/human-in-the-loop.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A list of the five things never to automate without a human in the loop, under the rule &quot;automate the work, never the judgment.&quot;]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/the-hidden-cost-of-manual-operations.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-02T14:16:51+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/5/The-Hidden-Cost-of-Manual-Operations.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[An iceberg diagram showing budgeted costs above the waterline and the larger hidden costs of manual operations below: labour, errors, decision delay, and opportunity cost.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/5/The-four-places-the-cost-hides.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[An iceberg diagram showing budgeted costs above the waterline and the larger hidden costs of manual operations below: labour, errors, decision delay, and opportunity cost.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/5/the-two-week-audit.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[ A four-step process flow for a two-week operations audit: track in 15-minute blocks, classify tasks, apply the sick-day test, and cost it.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/webhooks-apis-and-triggers-the-three-words-you-need-before-automating-anything.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-16T11:20:48+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/11/Webhooks-APIs-and-Triggers.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[APIs and Triggers: The Three Words You Need Before Automating Anything]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/11/An-API-is-how-two-apps-talk.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A comparison showing an API as repeatedly asking a server for data (pull) versus a webhook as the server pushing a notification the instant an event happens (push).]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/11/A-trigger-is-simply-the-thing-that-starts-it-all.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A flow showing a trigger event branching through either a webhook (real-time push) or an API (scheduled pull) to an action like updating stock or sending an email.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/what-is-a-large-language-model-without-the-hype.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-28T20:12:15+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/14/what-is-a-large-language-model.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/14/LLM-predicting-the-most-likely-next-token-from-a-prompt.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[A loop diagram showing an LLM predicting the most likely next token from a prompt, appending it, and repeating, with the note that it builds answers rather than looking them up.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/14/from-predictor-to-assistant.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[Three stages from raw predictor to helpful assistant: pre-training on next-token prediction, fine-tuning on instructions, and reinforcement learning from human feedback.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/what-is-an-ai-agent-the-difference-between-a-chatbot-an-assistant-and-an-agent.html</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-21T16:20:27+02:00</lastmod>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/13/chatbot-vs-Assistant-vs-Agent.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/13/spectrum-anatonomy-agents-vs-assistant.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[An autonomy spectrum from chatbot (replies) to assistant (proposes) to agent (acts), showing the three as points on one line rather than separate things.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://aaronwest.de/blog/media/posts/13/Agent-vs-chatbot.png</image:loc>
<image:title><![CDATA[The formula Agent equals LLM plus memory plus planning plus tool use, contrasted with a chatbot as the LLM alone.]]></image:title>
</image:image>
</url>
</urlset>