Mobile technology has been a key component of Chegg’s
value strategy from the beginning. In 2009, just two years after
entering the rental market, Chegg created a mobile web site
and an SMS-based service that made it possible for students
to check rental prices for textbooks by texting the ISBN number
of the book they were interested in. The following year,
Chegg launched an app for iPhone and iPad users. Android
users can still access services from the company’s well designed
mobile site. In 2012, Chegg launched a cloud-based eTextbook
reader designed to give students access to their textbooks from
a wide range of mobile devices. While Chegg is not the first
company to make textbooks available online, the eTextbook
reader provides powerful features for highlighting text, taking
notes, and checking word definitions. Users can view Key
Highlights, or material crowd-sourced from the highlighting
activities of other students using the reader. Finally, readers can
access Chegg’s Always on Q&A Service, where students can ask
questions about various academic subjects and often receive
an answer back from subject-matter experts within hours.