Sprinkles and technicolor desserts were predicted to be the rage in 2017 by the James Beard Foundation.

And then it was so! Today, Cheesecake Factory announced its new Funfetti dessert. I guess with all the serious stuff going on in the world, kids of all ages need their fix of colorful sweets.

Are you in the dessert business? Aspiring to sell your sweets to the masses? If so, staying on top of consumer trends is essential. To do this, you can:

1. Attend industry conferences, like the Snacks & Sweets Expo, the Fancy Food Show, and countless others — national and local.
2. Subscribe to industry e-zines and eat-up their data. Last year, Eater compiled every trend that was predicted for 2017 into one great list.
3. Follow your mentors and influencers on social media. You’ll get great ideas for your next new product.
4. Test your new creations at local farmers markets and targeted events. No better way to assess the popularity of your product(s) than to watch people eat and then give you their (hopefully honest) opinions.
5. Most important, listen to the feedback and watch your sales results carefully. One of the toughest challenges in entrepreneurship is being objective about your product (especially in the food category). Just because something is trendy, that doesn’t mean it’s tasty.

Remember too — today’s sprinkles fad could quickly de-sprinkle, so be sure to look out for the 2018 trends soon!

Yesterday, we kicked off Sweets Weeks at sheBOOM and already have received great pitches and tips from women who’s like to be included. Be sure to look at the questions in our post and send your responses via e-mail to nancy@sheboom.com by July 10th.